Associated Press

Tuesday, May 4, 1999

Compromise Bilingual Education Bill Would Give Parents New Rights
By PAUL DAVENPORT, The Associated Press

PHOENIX - Legislative negotiators agreed early today on a narrowly focused compromise bill on bilingual education. It would give new rights to parents and have lawmakers study the issue further in anticipation of more action next year.

Taken off the table are a House bill's 3-year limit on state funding for students' participation and a proposal from a now-dead Senate bill for state monitoring of school districts' compliance with mandates on bilingual education.

"We did get something," said Rep. Laura Knaperek, citing the parental rights provisions that were in both bills from the start. "It's always been the most importance piece."

Lawmakers hope their efforts will lessen public support for a proposed ballot measure modeled after a California voter-approved law that virtually eliminates bilingual education in that state.

Knaperek, R-Tempe, and the sponsor of the Senate bill, Democratic Sen. Joe Eddie Lopez of Phoenix, negotiated for an hour early this morning before reaching the compromise.

The last-minute negotiations concluded a House-Senate conference committee's work to iron out differences between versions of Knaperek's bill (HB2387) passed by each chamber. The Senate version contained elements of Lopez's bill (SB1001), which died in the House.

The full House and Senate next will consider separately whether to accept the changes recommended unanimously by the conference committee.

The parental rights provisions include stating that students' participation in bilingual education and in English as a second language programs is voluntary and requires parental notification.

Within 30 days of a student being enrolled in one of the programs, a school would have to provide the parents of a student with scores denoting the student's English proficiency, a pamphlet describing the school's programs and notice of the district's recommendation for placement in a program.

Also, the school would have to disclose whether the instructor has special training in bilingual education and tell the parents how a student may be removed from the assigned program. A principal would have to remove a student from a program within five days after receiving a parent's written request for withdrawal.

The compromise bill includes Lopez's proposal for a legislative study committee to conduct hearings and otherwise study academic research on types and lengths of programs to achieve English proficiency, whether districts' existing programs comply with federal and state laws, availability of teachers with bilingual education certification and funding issues, including how much the programs cost and how much money is provided by the state and federal governments.

Knaperek and Lopez had locked horns at the beginning of the conference committee meeting, each criticitizing the other's bill as inadequate.

After a recess, Senate Education Chairman John Huppenthal, R-Chandler engaged in a form of shuttle diplomacy in an apparently successful effort to identify common ground between the two lawmakers.

That led to line-by-line negotiations between Knaperek and Lopez, who were aided by legislative staffers and Jaime Molera, Gov. Jane Hull's education adviser.