June 4, 1998
Dear friends and colleagues,
Now we know the results of Tuesday's vote on Proposition 227. 61% voted in favor of the proposition with 39% against. While I am discouraged about these results, I am convinced that CATESOL's fight against this proposition was worthwhile and valuable.
The discussion that took place during this election campaign revealed that even well-meaning political leaders and members of the voting public have little or no understanding of second language learning. Their arguments and proposals ignored what our profession knows about the conditions, time frame and pedagogy involved in order for students to develop proficiency in another language.
Another factor in the campaign was an emotional response against immigrants and against bilingualism and multilingualism.
I am extremely proud of CATESOL's efforts and of our participation.
Initial polls showed 80% in favor of the initiative, 20% opposed. The efforts of the united No on 227 campaign definitely helped educate at least a portion of the electorate. Of particular interest is the turnaround of the Latino vote: 37% for and 63% against, completely opposite to the total.
The No on 227 steering committee will be analyzing our efforts to determine what went well and what went wrong. CATESOL's leadership will also be evaluating our role. We will decide how best to act within the sociopolitical arena to fulfill our mission, "to promote excellence in education for English language learners and a high quality professional environment for their teachers".
I would like to thank the CATESOL board for their unwavering support of the No on 227 effort.
The Board of Directors wrote our strong resolution of opposition, which was also endorsed by TESOL. The board also provided support to allow me to participate in statewide meetings and conference calls for the steering committee.
All levels of the organization participated in preparing our special CATESOL News supplement on the proposition and its damaging effects to all segments of the ESL community.
Mark Lieu kept our members and the public informed through the web site. June McKay was relentless in speaking, writing and fund raising. June also organized the letter of opposition, signed by sixteen past presidents of our organization, which was displayed in Pasadena.
The Pasadena conference committee, under the leadership of Chan Bostwick, Linda Sasser and Lia Kamhi-Stein, gave total support to Citizens for an Educated America and provided many opportunities to speak and fundraise, so that the entire conference became mobilized to fight 227.
Our chapters held No on 227 events. Hundreds of members participated in CATESOL's efforts and in grass roots organizing in their communities.
CATESOL as an organization has little experience in fundraising. However, our members raised a respectable amount of money for the No on 227 campaign. I am awaiting a final report from the campaign treasurer but I estimate we were responsible for at least $15,000 in individual contributions.
At this Saturday's board meeting we will begin the debriefing process, and we will begin to develop CATESOL's response to this vote. I encourage all of you to stay in communication and to post messages to the Board Listserv sharing the concerns and ideas generated within your communities and districts.
I am proud of CATESOL. It is an honor to serve as your president.
Sara Fields