Council Divided On Education Equity Act

City Councilman Dennis Gallagher along with 10 other councilmembers urged lawmakers and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to come out against the “Education Equity Act,” and prevent it from becoming law.
Currently, the legislation would require all public schools to provide translation services for “Limited English Proficiency” parents at parent teacher conferences, PTA meetings and at all meetings between parents and Department of Education (DOE) employees. The bill would also require the DOE to translate all notices, report cards and other documents into the nine most common primary languages spoken by parents, which includes English, Spanish, Cantonese, Russian, Bengali Mandarin, Haitian Creole, Korean, Urdu and Arabic.
“This bill is estimated to cost $20 million in Fiscal Year 2006-07 alone,” Gallagher said. “It’s $20 million that could be spent to re-hire the paraprofessionals that were taken out of our children’s classrooms; or getting new, updated books; or adding to much needed classroom space in our children’s schools.”
However, City Councilman Hiram Monserrate, who is on the education committee and first introduced this legislation nearly a year ago, is not convinced that the costs will be that high, and he believes the legislation should be a no-brainer.
“If parents can’t understand English or even have a discussion with a teacher, it puts those children and those parents at a disadvantage,” Monserrate said.
Nevertheless, Gallagher believes that if this legislation becomes law, it would force the city to make cuts in other essential areas.
“Do we close senior centers, close more firehouses, reduce police protection, eliminate more professionals from the Department of Education, reduce social services….where would it end?”
Some opponents to the legislation believe that if it passes, it will send the message to students and parents that it is not necessary to learn English.
“This measure is not sending any message; it simply acknowledges what is a reality today in this global city,” City Councilman John Liu said. “No one is reluctant to learn English, and people are learning, but during that process parents should also understand what is going on with their children.”
Although it is still unclear whether Bloomberg will sign this legislation into law, Monserrate hinted that he believes the administration is opposed to it, and Bloomberg will likely veto it.