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Region's services lag, Hispanics say BY KELLY STEWART Southern Oregon lacks quality education and labor services for Spanish-speaking residents, said presenters Saturday at a meeting about issues in the Hispanic community. The Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs, which reports to the governor, met at the Medford Armory to gather information on the region's services to the Hispanic population. The need for bilingual programs in Southern Oregon's schools, for instance, is high, said Ana Maria Tovar, a member of the Medford Hispanic Interagency Committee on education. About 18 percent of Hispanic students drop out of school nationwide. The majority of schools have an English as a Second Language pull-out program, where educators remove students from their regular classrooms for special instruction, Tovar said. The Spanish-speaking students then miss out on subjects being taught in their regular classroom. "Also, it's hurting children's self esteem," Tovar said. "They're looked upon as special-needs children." White City and Eagle Point schools do not have ESL programs for students, according to education committee member Yolanda Pena. "I would like to push the school districts to create effective (bilingual) programs for children," she said. The state government allocates extra funding to students in the ESL program, said OCHA member Dovie Trevino, an ESL professor at Western Oregon State University. However, Trevino said the extra money gets lost in the general fund and does not benefit ESL students. Another problem is that school personnel cannot communicate well with Hispanic families, said education committee member Elida Saldano. "There's nobody there who speaks our language," making it difficult for Spanish-speaking families to communicate about their children with educators, she said. The education committee's proposed solutions included effective bilingual programs, counselors who are culturally aware and high expectations for Hispanic students. Part of Saturday's discussion also focused on labor. Jesus Mejia, who made a presentation for the Hispanic Interagency Committee on labor, said farm workers are being mistreated in Oregon. They receive little or no benefits from their employers and deportation is a constant threat. Labor committee member Carolina Hernandez said she knew a farm worker who worked in the United States for 15 years, who was recently told he was dying of cancer and had three weeks to live. He was deported to Mexico to die. OCHA co-chair Angel Lopez said the U.S. immigration program "has its base in racism." "We will not take this type of racism anymore," said Lopez, a Portland attorney. But the Hispanic community has leverage in Oregon because Hispanics spend $2.5 billion per year, said OCHA member Victoria Barnhart. "We can put our money in places where we're appreciated and withhold it from places that don't want to listen to what we say," she said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA