Long Term English Learner Bill on the Governor’s Desk
We have great news to share with you. AB 2193 (Lara) made it out of the Senate
and Assembly with very strong bipartisan vote. The bill is now on the governor’s
desk. We need school board members and districts to send letters of support on
your district stationary before September 19, 2012.
AB 2193 (Lara) begins to address some of the recommendations from our research
and policy document, Reparable Harm: Fulfilling the Unkept Promise for Educational
Opportunity for California’s Long Term English Learners. As amended August 21,
2012, AB 2193 does the following: 1) establishes a statewide uniform definition of a
LTEL and someone at risk of becoming a LTEL and 2) requires the California
Department of Education to obtain the data as to the numbers of LTELs and at risk
of becoming in LTELs in our public schools and to in-turn provide that information
to districts and schools.
This bill begins to make the LTELs visible so schools and district can develop
targeted instruction and curriculum to address their unique language and academic
needs. We need your letter to reach the Governor’s desk by September 19, 2012
Below is a sample letter that you can use to compose on district letterhead from the
Board and/or the Superintendent. Letters can be faxed to the Governor:
Fax: (916) 558-3160 OR
sent by mail:
Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Please forward a copy of your letter you send to the governor to our Executive
Director, Shelly Spiegel –Coleman at Shelly@californianstogether.org or fax to 562436-1822.
Sincerely,
Michael Matsuda
President
Xilonin Cruz Gonzalez
Vice President
President, California Latino School Boards Assoociation
Sample Letter
Date
The Honorable Edmund “Jerry” G. Brown, Jr.
Governor of California
State Capitol, First Floor
Sacramento CA 95814
Dear Governor Brown,
On behalf of (insert school district and/or board of education from school district) this letter to urge
you to sign AB 2193 (Lara) Long Term English Learners, as amended August 21, 2012. This bill is one
of the most significant bills introduced this year regarding students who are English learners. The
significance of AB 2193 (Lara) is evident by the overwhelming bi-partisan support received in both
houses, 79 ayes in the Senate and 36 ayes in the Assembly.
Signing AB 2193 (Lara) will begin the process of finally addressing the instructional and English
language needs of approximately two-thirds of our English learner students in our secondary schools
who are not making adequate language and academic progress. A comprehensive look at this issue
was taken and survey data was collected from 40 school districts throughout all regions of California
in 2009-10. Information was obtained on 175,734 secondary students. This number represents
almost one-third of all secondary school English learners in the state. The analysis of this data and its
findings are in a 2010 report, Reparable harm: Fulfilling the Unkept Promise of Education Opportunity
for California’s Long Term English Leaders.
Findings of the report include: 1) the majority of secondary school English learners (59%) are Long
Term English Learners (LTEL), 2) there is an absence of a statewide definition of a LTEL; 3) few
school districts have designated programs or formal approaches designed for LTELs and 4) parents
do not know if their child is a Long Term English learner or at risk of becoming an LTEL.
Due to the fiscal constraints faced by our state, AB 2193 (Lara) begins to address the above findings
very conservatively. As amended August 21, 2012, AB 2193 does the following: 1) establishes a
statewide uniform definition of a LTEL and someone at risk of becoming a LTEL and 2) requires the
California Department of Education to obtain the data as to the numbers of LTELs and at risk of
becoming in LTELs in our public schools and to in-turn provide that information to districts and
schools.
(it would be good to put something personal or specific to your district in a paragraph here or at the
beginning of the letter)
Your leadership on the issue of LTELs is vital. For all the aforementioned reasons, I seek your
signature on AB 2193 (Lara) Long Term English Learners.
Sincerely,