Prop. 104 could derail minority, female programs

If voters approve a ballot initiative in November, several programs designed to help minority and female students at East Valley junior high and high schools could be banned.

Proposition 104, which will be one of 11 ballot measures up for vote this fall, would not allow the state to "discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting."

The measure has largely been discussed in terms of universities, but East Valley school districts also stand to lose some of their programs if the measure passes, including a program that helps Hispanic female students in middle school and one that gives assistance to American Indian seniors once they are accepted to state universities.

The ballot measure could even ban single-sex classes, said Tom Pickrell, general counsel for the Mesa Unified School District.

"The only aspect that could surprise some people is the anti-gender discrimination," he said. "There has been some interest in all-female or all-male classes, and the federal government authorized it, but this provision could impact that flexibility."

Such classes have gained popularity in recent years at Andersen Junior High School in Chandler and Desert Shadow Middle School in Apache Junction.

At those schools, students have the option of taking certain classes, like math and English, in sex-segregated classrooms.

Prop. 104 is backed by the American Civil Rights Coalition, headed by Ward Connerly, who received national attention in 1996 when he helped pass an initiative in California banning race- and gender-based preferences.

"I think that what the goal of this is to put more focus on the socioeconomic aspect as opposed to the race, because there are lots of people out there who are at an economic disadvantage and they do need help. But the government shouldn't give it to them based on what race they are," said Max McPhail, executive director of the Arizona Civil Rights Initiative. "I think this initiative is all about inclusion and fairness."

But opponents say the measure would ban needed programs that encourage women and minority students to seek higher education, specifically in areas where they are underrepresented, such as science and engineering.

"There's a myth out there that people are getting into ASU because they're a woman or a person of color. But the truth is it's already illegal to admit a person based on something other than their own achievement," said Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, who is chairwoman of Protect Arizona's Freedom, a group opposed to the proposition. "But what we do have are programs designed to support students either before or after they are admitted to a college or university."

One of those is Arizona State University's Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program, in which nearly every East Valley school district participates. The program recruits seventh-grade Hispanic girls who don't have college graduates in their families.

The girls and their mothers participate once a month in a class at ASU where they learn study skills, test preparation and how to write personal statements and apply for financial aid.

In the 2006-07 school year, nearly 200 girls from East Valley schools participated.

The measure could also ban the Summer Bridge Program, which helps Indian seniors prepare for college after graduation.