On behalf of more than 30,000 dedicated public school employees I strongly urge all voters to vote "no" on Proposition 203.  Students who are learning English as a second language have the fundamental right to the most appropriate and suitable method for learning English in school; this proposition eliminates that right.  All students deserve an education that culminates in their fluency in English and their mastery of academic content.  For students learning English, a foundation in literacy and academic concepts in their native language provides them equal footing as they move through a program of language acquisition. Denying students this opportunity relegates them to a second tier of achievement as they fall behind in their content studies while struggling with a foreign language. 

Parents, not state government, should make decisions regarding their child's education.  This proposition tells parents who want the opportunity of a bilingual education that the bureaucracy knows better - they can not make that choice.  Such a limitation of choice and prospect must be considered a violation of civil rights as one class of citizens finds a door to opportunity slammed in their faces. 

Furthermore, teachers could find themselves threatened by the law for using their professional judgement.  If a teacher determined that a student did not understand a concept explained in English, this proposition would legally prohibit her from teaching that concept in the child's native language.  State government has no business intruding into professional decisions made in the classroom. 

In short, Proposition 203 threatens teachers who would make educational decisions in the best interest of their students, revokes parental rights of choice regarding their child's education, and punishes children whose first language is not English by denying them educational opportunities.  Please vote "no". 

Penny Kotterman 
President, Arizona Education Association 
4000 North Central Avenue, Suite 1600 
Phoenix, AZ 850122 

[Proposition 203]  Requires that all public school instruction be conducted in English.. 

Proposition 203 would remove the ability of school districts to provide needed bilingual and English as Second Language classes for non-English speaking students. 

Instead, students would be placed in an intensive one-year English immersion programs to teach them the language as quickly as possible. 

It would eliminate well-researched programs for transitioning non-English speaking children and replace them with English immersion. It would also diminish a parent's choice in deciding what is best for their child.