Concerns about illegal immigration were aired in a legislative oversight committee meeting when lawmakers discussed, and ultimately gave a favorable review to, drafts of English instruction models to be implemented in Arizona public schools in an attempt to comply with a federal lawsuit.
The burr under the saddle for many Republican lawmakers is the requirement under federal law to educate all residents, whether they reside in the state legally or not. Though exact numbers aren’t known because the law prohibits schools from asking about a student’s immigration status, Arizona’s position as a border state and the entry point into the United States for many illegal immigrants means the state likely has tens of thousands of illegal immigrant students.
And that means the cost of teaching children English in school largely goes to educate illegal immigrants, Republicans like Russell Pearce say. At the Joint Legislative Budget Committee hearing Sept. 20, he said the reason English instruction is so costly is because of illegal immigration.
“I’ll probably have a bill next year to have Mexico pay for the largest school district in Arizona that they have,” JLBC Chairman Pearce, R-18, said when a Yuma lawmaker criticized a lack of funding that would hurt schools in her area that have mostly Hispanic students.
Senator: Not all kids are illegal
“Mr. Chairman,” Sen. Amanda Aguirre, D-24, responded, “not all of the children are illegal. They are legal residents of this country.”
Pearce countered, “We can certainly debate that. We know there’s a problem, we know the problems we have with the invasion, we know the impact on the taxpayer, and we continue to ignore it.”
Aguirre then retorted, “I appreciate your comments, but not every Hispanic who looks Hispanic or individual who is Hispanic is illegal in this country.”
“I think we made that clear,” Pearce said, ending the back and forth and calling for a vote on the measures.
The committee adopted the research-based models, which are the result of 22 public meetings by the Arizona English Language Learners Task Force. The instructional models are required under a law passed in 2006 to allow schools to receive additional state funding for English language instruction.
When the models are finalized, school districts with ELL students will be required to calculate how much it will cost to implement the programs. The state will provide any funding required above and beyond certain federal funds and what the state already provides for English instruction.
Though a federal court in Tucson has ruled the state cannot consider federal funding when determining how much to provide for English instruction, the ruling is being appealed.
Rep. Pete Rios, D-23, voted against the models and said they are requiring schools to implement new standards without providing any funding to do so, only covering extra costs once the programs are in place.
“I think we’re basically putting the cart before the horse,” he said. “[Schools] are being forced to take money from other areas in order to comply with the models.”
But Sen. Jack Harper, R-4, says school districts just need to better allocate their funding.
“I believe there is some federal money…and the models will work with the money we are spending now,” he said.