Opponents
Measure 58 is opposed by the Parents and Teachers Know Better Coalition, which describes itself as "a broad coalition of parents, teachers, and school advocates who care about Oregon's students & schools." [7] The Parents and Teachers Know Better campaign is part of the Defend Oregon Coalition, which opposes all five of the ballot initiatives on the November 4 ballot that are sponsored by Sizemore.
Members of the coalition include Stand for Children, Oregon PTA, United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon Education Association, American Federation of Teachers-Oregon, Oregon School Employees Association, and the Human Services Coalition of Oregon, among others. [8]
Arguments against Measure 58
Notable arguments that have been made against Ballot Measure 58 include:
- It offers a "one-size-fits-all" mandate that doesn't take into account the differences in students' ability to learn academic English.
- English acquisition researcher Jim Cummins at the University of Toronto it typically takes students five to seven years to acquire full mastery of a second language. [9]
- It is too expensive.
- It doesn't define what it means by "English immersion". [10]
- It doesn't make any exceptions for students with learning disabilities.
- It isn't based on any research on how students learn. Most language acquisition experts say it takes five to seven years for children to become proficient enough in a new language to meet academic requirements.
- It will ban popular dual-immersion programs.
Donors opposed to Measure 58
Two campaign committees opposed to Measure 58 have registered. They are Defend Oregon and the Committee to Protect Local Control of Schools (CPLCS), led by Kevin Neely, who is also the treasurer of Defend Oregon.
CPLCS reports no significant financial activity as of September 29. [11]
Defend Oregon, as a committee, fought seven different ballot measures in 2008, and supported two others. As a result, it is not possible to discern how much of its campaign warchest went specifically to defeat Measure 58. Altogether, the group has raised $9 million in 2008. [12]
Major donations to the Defend Oregon group as of October 23 include: [13]
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