Where were the Hispanic votes? / Too many failed to support education reform
SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2010 AT 12:04 A.M.
With the resurgence of real education reform this week, California Democrats are experiencing a defining moment. And, as the saying goes, they either define the moment or the moment will define them.
That is especially true for Hispanic Democrats, who rode to power on the assumption that they represent the state’s largest minority, which also happens to be dramatically shortchanged by public schools. Low expectations are the order of the day, and so it’s no wonder that the dropout rate for Hispanic students has hovered at 50 percent for the last two decades.
Unwilling to accept that, state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, proposed legislation to bring California in line with President Barack Obama’s education reform agenda and make the state eligible for as much as $700 million in grants under the administration’s “Race to the Top” initiative. After extended wrangling, the Legislature passed the bill this week and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed it. In doing so, our leaders threw a life preserver to students drowning in underperforming schools – most of whom are Hispanic.
You would think that Hispanic lawmakers would have jumped at the chance to support this legislation. You’d be wrong. It got only a few votes from Hispanic members of the Assembly.