Wisconsin legislators introduced legislation Thursday that
would create a world language instruction program for the state elementary
schools.
With burgeoning globalization, the ability to communicate
effectively with people from every corner of the world is no longer a mere
convenience but an undeniable necessity, lawmakers said. ?
The bill, introduced by state Rep. Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie,
Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, and state Superintendent Elizabeth
Burmaster, would provide funding to elementary schools seeking to establish
foreign language programs or improve programs that currently exist. The project?s
estimated cost is $500,000, which would be allocated from the pool of general
purpose revenues, a miscellaneous fund of tax revenues.
If the bill becomes law, elementary school districts
choosing to participate in the pilot program would apply for funding through
the Department of Public Instruction.
However, support need not be limited exclusively to
government funding, as individuals and businesses are allowed to contribute
donations to the program, similar to the way benefactors support the Wisconsin
Covenant for Education, which offers college scholarship money to students.
?We are conducting a lot of business with other countries
and dealing with other languages everyday,? Hebl said. ?Businesses will want to
encourage the program because it will help them compete.?
Apart from the economic benefits foreign language
instruction creates for the community, Patrick Gasper, communications officer
for the Department of Public Instruction, said introducing children to foreign
languages at a young age can have a more immediate and personal impact on their
cognitive development.
?Younger students are able to learn faster and easier than
adults, and students who study languages fare better in other subjects,? Gasper
said.
?It’s absolutely crucial that our state takes the lead to
help our students succeed,? Hebl said.
?Foreign language education is something we need to
encourage even more now than in the past, and this bill provides grants to
start kids learning at a young age,? he added.
A similar proposal to fund foreign language education was
initially included as part of the original state budget, but was removed from
the stalled budget last year. According to Hebl, the exact reason why the
foreign language bill failed to be incorporated in the final version of the
state budget remains unclear.
?It was cut out for reasons that confound me,? Hebl said.
?I’m certain other legislators pushed for their own pet projects, but in my
perspective, there is no better place to invest than in our children.?
Gasper said he is optimistic the world language program will
pass this time.
?We already know that Gov. Doyle supports increasing foreign
language education,? Gasper said. ?We need to get it to both houses before they
adjourn in March. We’re hopeful that it will be approved.?
An aide to Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, chair of the Assembly
Education Committee, said Davis had not yet seen the legislation, but he would
examine it shortly.
