The Dallas Morning News – Mercedes Olivera
“During this legislative session, Texas lawmakers are debating the merits of expanding or improving prekindergarten classes. Gov. Greg Abbott has said he will push to expand the quality of the classes, while others say making them a full day instead of half a day would be a better option. But bilingual educators in Dallas-Fort Worth, who will meet next week at their annual conference in Dallas, say improving pre-K is just the first step. Other issues are just as important to ensure Texas has an educated workforce for the future. At a time when more than 50 percent of the state’s public school students are Latinos and almost 15 percent are English language learners, several bilingual educators said restoring funding for bilingual programs has never been more crucial. Public education funding lost in cuts from four years ago was never fully restored, and that included drastic cuts to bilingual education programs, said Myrna Blanchard, president of the Bilingual Education Association of the Metroplex.”(more)