The paper examines some critical issues regarding the Spanish language proficiency of bilingual education teachers, primarily those from the Spanish-language-origin community. Recent longitudinal studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between sustained native language instruction and student achievement. Because this finding is encouraging, it is suggested that it is time to take a closer look at the context in which bilingual education teachers develop their Spanish language proficiency. This examination reveals that given the present subtractive sociolinguistic context in the United States, the likelihood of bilingual teachers developing native-like Spanish language proficiency is low. Further, the Spanish language preparation bilingual education teachers receive at higher education institutions is not commensurate with the task of developing a high level of Spanish proficiency. Finally, the Spanish language proficiency measures used to gauge the proficiency of bilingual education teachers have some problems. It is concluded that under present circumstances, bilingual education teachers with the ability to sustained native language instruction will be the exception. Contains 36 references. (MSE)