The people of California find and declare as follows:
(a) Whereas, The English language is the national public language of the United States of America and of the State of California, is spoken by the vast majority of California residents, and is also the leading world language for science and technology, thereby being an important language of economic opportunity; and
(b) Whereas, All parents are eager to have their children master the English language and obtain a high-quality education, thereby preparing them to fully participate in the American Dream of economic and social advancement; and
(c) Whereas, California is home to thousands of multinational businesses that must communicate daily with associates around the world; and
(d) Whereas, California employers across all sectors, both public and private, are actively recruiting multilingual employees because of their ability to forge stronger bonds with customers, clients, and business partners; and
(e) Whereas, Multilingual skills are necessary for our country’s national security and essential to conducting diplomacy and international programs; and
(f) Whereas, California has a natural reserve of the world’s largest languages, including English, Mandarin, and Spanish, which are critical to the state’s economic trade and diplomatic efforts; and
(g) Whereas, California has the unique opportunity to provide all parents with the choice to have their children educated to high standards in English and one or more additional languages, including Native American languages, thereby increasing pupils’ access to higher education and careers of their choice; and
(h) Whereas, The government and the public schools of California have a moral obligation and a constitutional duty to provide all of California’s children, regardless of their ethnicity or national origin, with the skills necessary to become productive members of our society, and of these skills, literacy in the English language is among the most important; and
(i) Whereas, The California Legislature approved, and the Governor signed, a historic school funding reform that restructured public education funding in a more equitable manner, directs increased resources to improve English language acquisition, and provides local control to school districts, county offices of education, and schools on how to spend funding through the local control funding formula and local control and accountability plans; and
(j) Whereas, Parents now have the opportunity to participate in building innovative new programs that will offer pupils greater opportunities to acquire 21st century skills, such as multilingualism; and
(k) Whereas, All parents will have a choice and voice to demand the best education for their children, including access to language programs that will improve their children’s preparation for college and careers, and allow them to be more competitive in a global economy; and
(l) Whereas, Existing law places constraints on teachers and schools, which have deprived many pupils of opportunities to develop multilingual skills; and
(m) Whereas, A large body of research has demonstrated the cognitive, economic, and long-term academic benefits of multilingualism and multiliteracy.
(n) Therefore, It is resolved that: amendments to, and the repeal of, certain provisions of this chapter at the November 2016 statewide general election will advance the goal of voters to ensure that all children in California public schools shall receive the highest quality education, master the English language, and access high-quality, innovative, and research-based language programs that provide the California Ed.G.E. (California Education for a Global Economy).
(Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 753, Sec. 2. (SB 1174) Approved in Proposition 58 at the November 8, 2016, election. Operative July 1, 2017, by Sec. 9 of Proposition 58.)