California has an increasing percentage of students representing ethnic minorities. What implications does this fact have for California school finance?
According to Townley and Schmieder-Ramirez (2015), in 2013 “There are more than a million English learners, which represented 22% of the total enrollment in California public schools” (p. 35). In 2015, that number increased “English learners constitute 22.1 percent of the total enrollment in California public schools” (www.cde.ca.gov, CalEdFacts, Basic Facts).
As an educator, as someone who values education, I recognize the importance of a quality education for all children. I also recognize that when there is such a large percentage of the student population that are not only learning content, but also the language that the content is delivered in, that quality education may need to be approached differently and on a larger scale. Of course, we also know that when those kind of large changes are made, there is a financial impact. There is always a financial impact.
In 1998, Proposition 227 was voted into effect. Essentially, this proposition took bilingual classes out of schools and instead “limited English proficient (LEP) students (were) placed in English immersion classes and then mainstreamed into regular classes” (Townley & Schmieder-Ramirez, 2015, p. 22). Proposition 227 was favored because voters felt that this would better prepare students to not only learn English, but also be able to learn content that was taught in English. The financial aspect of this particular proposition was that the state was required “to provide $50 million every year for ten years for English classes for adults who promise to tutor LEP students” (ballotpedia.org, California Proposition 227).
It was a long time ago, but from my own personal experience, I think the state should have saved their money and put it to better use. I was in the 2nd grade (I told you it was a long time ago) bilingual classroom. I lived in Perris, CA and my school had a high number of hispanic students, many of whom were my friends. In my classroom were both English and Spanish books, notes on the board were in both English and Spanish, the newsletter was sent home in English and Spanish, directions were spoken in English and in Spanish. I learned so much more Spanish that year by accident, than I did when I took Spanish for 2 years in high school. I remember sitting in the classroom library looking at a Spanish book and not understanding anything. I told a friend how hard it was and she read the book with me. It was benefitted the Spanish speaking students, but it benefitted the English speaking students as well. More students were being positively impacted than placing ONLY non-English speaking students in an immersion class.
Townley and Schmieder-Ramirez mentioned “the possibility of a new proposition being placed on the California ballot in 2016 that (would) change the restrictions of Proposition 227” (2015, p. 22). I did investigate the new proposition and found out about Proposition 58, which was voted for in 2016. Proposition 58 repealed some of the provisions put into place by Proposition 227. Based on the website Ballotpedia, “Proposition 58 no longer required English-only education for English learners. It allowed schools to utilize multiple programs, including bilingual education” (California Proposition 58, Initiative design). We are past the ten year mark in which the state was having to provide $50 million, so assuming that money was no longer being paid out, Proposition 227 was not requiring any extra funding above paying additional teachers as enrollment increases. In reviewing Proposition 58, it appears that “No notable fiscal effect on school districts or state government” (Ballotpedia, California Proposition 58, Fiscal impact).
Ballotpedia (2016). California Proposition 227, the "English in Public Schools" Initiative (1998). Retrieved from https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_227,_the_%22English_in_Public_Schools%22_Initiative_(1998).
Ballotpedia (2016). California Proposition 58, Non-English Languages Allowed in Public Education (2016). Retrieved from https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_58,_Non-English_Languages_Allowed_in_Public_Education_(2016).
California Department of Education. (2016). Facts about English Learners in California - CalEdFacts. Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/cefelfacts.asp.
Townley, A & Schmieder-Ramirez, J. (2015). School Finance. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.
No comments:
Post a Comment