As more people immigrate to the United States from Mexico and Central American countries, Spanish should be a mandatory part of education in the Southwest. As the population in the border states continues to expand due to the mass immigration, there are a number of jobs that will require that all workers be fluent in Spanish in order to serve all clients and customers.
Although English is the official language of the U.S., many established cultural groups made the trip to settle in this country without knowing the language. They had to learn it, but they had to start somewhere. The same holds true of Spanish speaking immigrants. As they enter the country, they will need immediate services in order to get established and survive in a new land. Those services include healthcare, human services, education, and basic food and clothing needs. From the onset, they will need help from people that they can easily communicate with. Some organizations and businesses already know this, so it only stands to reason that the demand for Spanish speaking workers will continue to increase. The education system can help students be ready for that kind of work force. Today, a bilingual worker is often able to make higher pay in certain areas where much of the population speaks Spanish.
Instead of politicizing the issue, education systems and the legislature need to look it realistically as an opportunity to improve the economy through an increase in retail spending and a decrease in non-funded services that spend too much time trying to communicate with a Spanish speaker. Ask any business that advertises that they speak Spanish why they do that, and they’ll tell you they do it to increases revenue. A foreign language doesn’t mean there is no money to be spent; especially where necessities are concerned. Teaching students to speak Spanish is one of the top skills a kid can take with him into his first job.