A law enforcing, English-only education in Arizona public schools may be repealed in 2020, almost two decades after being put in place.
The Arizona Department of Education is attempting to put a motion on the ballot in 2020 to repeal Proposition 203, nicknamed “English for Children,” which aimed to force “non-English speakers to speak only English in schools (which) would allow them to pick up the language faster,” Stefan Swiat, the public information officer for the department, said.
The proposition was based on California’s Proposition 227 in 1998, which aimed to do the same as Prop. 203.
The California proposition was later repealed in 2016 because many students were being left behind and not given the opportunity to learn English with the most effective teaching methods possible, according to the official voter guide for the California measure.
In February 2019, the Arizona legislature passed a measure to eliminate the restrictive and controversial four-hour block of mandated English-language instruction, according to the Arizona Department of Education.
“I looked at the kids that are being educated, that do not speak English, that had to sit in four hours of class to learn English specifically, and as a result, they were being hindered,” said Rep. John Fillmore, the bill’s sponsor at the Arizona House of Representatives’ meeting. “To me, this just is a common-sense bill that would educate kids and doesn’t cost a lot of money.”
The department wants to repeal the proposition because “it hasn’t proved beneficial to students,” according to a statement made by Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman. “Our English language-learning students lag behind their English speaking counterparts across the major indicators.”
According to a 1991 study called the Immersion Study conducted by the National Academy of Science, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that the transitional bilingual program offered in the kindergarten to first grade has resulted in superior reading outcomes over the English-immersion program.
In February 2019, the Arizona House of Representatives approved a ballot referral to repeal Prop. 203 in a vote of 59-1, according to the Arizona State Legislature. The single vote of opposition was cast by Rep. Nancy Barto.
“I agreed that there needed to be some changes to improve (English-language learning) for students who might remain in the block too long under the current structure, but I had serious reservations about a full repeal,” Barto said. “The voters supported (Prop. 203) for a reason and leaving it completely up the schools to devise could be a gamble.”
Another opposer of repealing the proposition is Ron Unz, the primary financial backer of Prop. 203 as well as California’s Prop. 227 and similar measures in other states. Unz provided 81 percent of the money — just over $186,000 in total, to get Prop. 203 on the ballot, according to disclosure statements filed with the Arizona Secretary of State.
“Assuming the Arizona situation is similar to that of California a couple of years ago, it’s just total nonsense, and I very much doubt (repealing it) will have any practical impact,” Unz said.
If Prop. 203 is repealed, the current law will be replaced with provisions that require public schools must ensure that English learners receive the highest quality of education and master the English language using evidence-based methods, according to a memo written by the Arizona Department of Education regarding HCR2026.
In addition, Arizona public schools will be allowed to offer dual language immersion programs for children with a native language other than English and it will not repeal English language proficiency assessments, according to the memo.
The Arizona State Senate failed to vote on the measure to put the repeal on the ballot before the 2019 legislative session adjourned, meaning it will not make the ballot until 2020.
Contact the reporter at hrein@asu.edu.
Correction: A previous version of this article said English prop to repeal in 2020.
Hailey Rein is the Education Editor at Downtown Devil and a senior at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass communications. In addition, she is a digital producer at azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic. In her free time, she enjoys being with her dogs and watching a rom-com.
