In Miami, Spanish is becoming the primary language

May 29, 4:38 AM (ET)

By GISELA SALOMON

MIAMI (AP) - Melissa Green's mother spoke Spanish, but she never learned - her father forbid it. Today, that's a frequent problem in this city where the English-speaking population is outnumbered.

The 49-year-old flower shop owner and Miami native said her inability to speak "espanol" makes it difficult to conduct business, seek help at stores and even ask directions. She finds it "frustrating."

"It makes it hard for some people to find a job because they don't speak Spanish, and I don't think that it is right," said Green, who sometimes calls a Spanish-speaking friend to translate for customers who don't speak English.

"Sometimes I think they should learn it," she said.

In many areas of Miami, Spanish has become the predominant language, replacing English in everyday life. Anyone from Latin America could feel at home on the streets, without having to pronounce a single word in English.

In stores, shopkeepers wait on their clients in Spanish. Universities offer programs for Spanish speakers. And in supermarkets, banks, restaurants - even at the post office and government offices - information is given and assistance is offered in Spanish. In Miami, doctors and nurses speak Spanish with their patients and a large portion of advertising is in Spanish. Daily newspapers and radio and television stations cater to the Hispanic public.

San Luis, AZ, just south of Yuma, has over 30,000 people, 98% of whom are Latino. Try finding someone to wait on you who speaks English! It will be a long wait! -mm

Appeals Court rules English-learner program deficient

by Mary Jo Pitzl - Apr. 18, 2008 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

Next stop in the legal battle over the state's English-learner program: The U.S. Supreme Court.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said Thursday that in the wake of a denial from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, he intends to take the case to the nation's top court.

"Fundamentally, there's an issue of principle involved," Horne said.

It boils down to who should control the state's programs for teaching English to non-native speakers: The people, through their elected officials, or a judge, Horne said.

His comments came as the Appeals Court on Thursday denied state officials' request to reconsider its February ruling against the state's English-learner program. Horne, along with Republican legislative leaders, had asked the Appeals Court for an en banc review, in which a bigger appeals panel would review the case.

Gov. refuses to sign English-learner bill but lets it become law

By Howard Fischer

CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES

PHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano agreed Monday to provide $40.6 million in new state funds for English learners, one day ahead of a deadline set by a federal judge.

But she refused to actually sign the measure, to show she doesn't believe the funding resolves the issue. Instead, Napolitano let the bill become law without her signature.

That is, as a practical matter, the legal equivalent of signing the bill. But choosing this course gives her a chance to express her concerns and displeasure in writing.

More to the point, the governor noted if the state missed today's deadline of funding the plan it would have been subject to fines starting at $2 million a day.

Monday's action does not end the legal fight, which has been going on since 1992. Attorney Tim Hogan said he believes Arizona is still not complying with federal laws requiring states to ensure all students have an opportunity to learn English.

Governor lets ELL bill pass - minus her signature

The Associated Press

Published: 04.15.2008

PHOENIX - Gov. Janet Napolitano on Monday let a funding increase for Arizona's instruction of students who are learning English become law without her signature, saying the bill was flawed but she wanted the state to avoid incurring costly fines.

The Legislature approved the $40.6 million measure last week to pay for implementing a 2006 law that revamps English Language Learning programs.

The 2006 law was enacted because Arizona's ELL programs and their funding were ruled to be inadequate to satisfy federal mandates for equal opportunities in education.

Napolitano's action came one day before a deadline set March 11 by U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins for approval of appropriate funding for ELL programs. Collins ordered daily fines starting at $2 million if lawmakers missed the deadline. The fines would rise to $5 million after 30 days.

The state is requiring schools to implement instructional models that include daily four-hour immersion periods for the 138,000 ELL students in Arizona.

State puts additional ELL cost at $40 million

The Associated Press

Published: 03.03.2008

PHOENIX — The state's top education official is asking for an extra $40 million in the next state budget to pay for implementing a law revamping instruction for students who are learning English, with most of the money going for additional teachers.

The budget request submitted by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne on Monday to implement a 2006 law is well below the funding level that many school officials believe is necessary both for their districts and the state as a whole.

The law was enacted after more than 15 years of political and legal wrangling over adequacy of state funding for English Language Learning programs for approximately 130,000 students.

English-learner case strains Arizona's coffers

Deadline creates dilemma for cash-strapped state

Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 26, 2008 12:00 AM

State government, already strapped for money, could be staring down a bill for millions of dollars for failing to fund a program to teach English to students struggling to learn the language.

And the financial cost to the state will grow even more, as legislative leaders and the state schools chief indicated Monday that they will appeal the English-language issue all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, if necessary.

The latest developments in the case of Flores vs. Arizona underscore the financial and philosophical issues at stake.

On the one hand, lawmakers face a March 4 deadline to fund English-language programs adequately. That's a deadline they said Monday that they can't meet.

That will send attorney Tim Hogan of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest back to a federal judge in Tucson to seek sanctions. Those penalties could be similar, if not identical, to fines that were imposed on the state two years ago for dragging its feet on the English-language issue: $500,000 a day, climbing over time.

On another front, state officials will appeal Friday's ruling from a three-member panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The court rejected their arguments that they have resolved the dilemma about English-language instruction and thus should be removed from the requirements imposed by Judge Raner Collins of U.S. District Court.

Educators put price on English as 2nd language

They say $300 million more is needed annually

Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 24, 2008 12:00 AM

The state will have to spend an additional $300 million a year to teach English successfully to non-native speakers in Arizona's schools, administrators said Wednesday.

That's nearly six times the $54 million the state currently spends on English-language-learner programs. And it puts an exclamation point on the financial dilemma facing the state as lawmakers grapple with budget deficits that reach beyond $1 billion.

Arizona is under a court order to improve instruction to children struggling to learn English.

The estimate released Wednesday by Arizona School Administrators offered the first glimpse at the overall cost of instruction and other services for such students.

"Generally, this issue is not on people's radar screens," said Debra Duvall, superintendent of the Mesa Unified School District, the state's largest. "It doesn't seem to be resonating with the ladies and gentlemen in the Legislature."