The long-awaited report by the President's Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans was finally released last month with few surprises and a grim picture for both Latinos and the nation.

In assessing the status of Latinos in education, Alfred Ramirez, executive director of the commission, states: "We have a crisis on our hands."

In a letter to President Clinton, Dr. Ana Margarita Guzman, chair of the commission, which was founded in 1994 and was twice hampered by efforts to eliminate it by Congress, wrote: "The bridge to the 21st century for this country will not be built without equity in education for Hispanic Americans -- that is, without `leveling the playing field' for all who are a part of the educational system."

The commission worries that, with block grant funding to states, the shift away from federal mandates will mean that Latino issues will continue to be ignored and enforcement of federal laws and initiatives will "be specious at best." There is the fear that Latino students will suffer as a result of locally hostile judicial and legislative climates against people of color -- particularly on issues such as immigration, language and affirmative action, "With block grant funding and local decision-making, there could be more inequities," says Ramirez. "The whole purpose of establishing federal civil rights laws and Supreme Court decisions was because the states and local districts were ignoring the law and not treating people of color in an equal manner."

Some states, such as California, have already targeted immigrants legal and illegal. In an era of shrinking budgets and smaller government, other states may follow suit. Chances are also likely that some states and local districts will attempt to do away with bilingual education. Ramirez said that while the commission found many things that people already know, they have essentially "put it all under one roof." Additionally, he said, in meeting the objectives of the executive order that created the commission, "this isn't even the first step. It's an entry point."