Proponents of the proposition declared victory before 10 last night, although early results showed they could have done so sooner. This has nothing to do with our heritage or our culture. This is an outstanding victory. Ron Unz, the Silicon Valley millionaire who led California's successful proposition to ban bilingual education, bankrolled Arizona's effort to do away with it. Unz, who was at last night's Phoenix victory party, called the wide margin of victory heartening since opponents outspent supporters of the proposition late in the campaign.
Similar efforts are now in motion in New York, Massachusetts and Colorado.
He said parents of immigrant students in the state will see academic improvements within two years, which has occurred in California among many students with limited English skills. Those improvements, however, will occur here only in Arizona school districts that abide by the will of the voters, Unz said. Stan Paz, Tucson Unified School District superintendent, said he will meet immediately with district lawyers to determine how best to implement the English-only mandate. Professionally, we are going to abide by the law. Similarly, Sunnyside Superintendent Raul Bejarano said he was unhappy but not surprised.