Tribes Oppose Arizona Bilingual Ed. Measure

By Mary Ann Zehr

A ballot initiative to get rid of bilingual education in Arizona is not sitting well with some American Indians in that state, who see it as an affront to their efforts to maintain or revitalize their tribal languages.

The governments of three tribes have passed resolutions opposing the measure, called Proposition 203, which will be put before voters in November. The Navajo Nation and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community passed resolutions against the proposed measure last year before it was officially approved for the state ballot. The Tohono O'Odham tribe passed a resolution against it last month.

Like Proposition 227, a state ballot initiative that was approved by California voters in 1998, Proposition 203 aims to replace bilingual education programs with one-year English-immersion programs. The Arizona measure would be more restrictive than the one in California, however, in granting waivers that would allow parents to enroll their...