In Pennsylvania, a large influx of non-English speaking students is overwhelming school districts across the state, and the logistical burden on administrators may be leaving other students behind.

The number of English language learners (ELLs) in Pennsylvania school districts has jumped nearly 40% since 2021, and public schools are working harder to meet the needs of these students, according to documents obtained through records requests and public access requests. They are forced to spend a lot of cash. Source information reviewed by Daily Caller News Foundation. The surge in many schools began in the 2021-2022 school year, coinciding with the inauguration of the Biden-Harris administration and the ensuing border crisis.

The surge is straining already understaffed schools and depriving local children of educational opportunities, local residents and school district leaders affected by the influx told DCNF. (Related: ‘Some of what it once was’: New data shows how the Biden-Harris administration is handcuffing ICE)

Records collected by DCNF reveal a staggering increase in the number of English language learners and ballooning costs, especially in small-town school districts, under the Biden administration, which has presided over a record-breaking illegal immigration crisis.

“The problem is two-fold,” Joanne Cullen, who served as Pennridge School Board president from 2015 to 2023, told DCNF. “Obviously there’s a financial issue, but there’s also an issue of where are we going to get the staffing to provide these services to our students as we have an influx of students into the district?”

During the 2020-2021 school year, there were a total of 71,766 ELL students (students with special education needs who learn English as a second language) across the state. According to Data released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. This number jumped to 99,889 in the 2023-2024 school year, an increase of nearly 40% in just three years.

“This made us stop and think, ‘How do we feed these students?'” Karen said. “That’s what I want people to emphasize, and I think that’s what I want people to emphasize.” [Ohio GOP Sen.] J.D. Vance said in a recent debate, “We’re not angry at the people who have been put in this situation, but at the elected officials who are completely ignoring the impact this has on small towns. I’m angry,” he said. “”

The increase in English language learners came even as the overall student population across the state declined, according to Department of Education data. The number of students in the 2020-2021 school year was 1,696,022, which decreased to 1,685,859 in the 2023-2024 school year.

LOWER MERION, PA – MAY 19: A school bus stops to drop off students at Merion Elementary School on May 19, 2004 in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Outside Pennsylvania 500 school districtsDCNF identified 62 school districts that saw a 100% or more increase in English language students between 2021 and 2024. Another 68 school districts saw increases of at least 50% over the same period.

For parents in small towns experiencing a surge in immigrant students, the impact turns out to be incredibly personal.

“My daughter was ready for Head Start,” Heather Roberts told DCNF about the Pennsylvania preschool program for students with disabilities and low-income families. Her daughter fits the former description, as she was born with only one kidney.

“Two weeks before Head Start started, [the school] contacted me and said that my child would not be able to attend because of the large number of immigrants coming in,” she said. Roberts said the school had to remove her daughter from the program to accommodate more than 20 new Haitian students from low-income families.

Mr. Roberts is president of Local 53G, a labor union representing hundreds of workers who produce glass products in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. The small town of about 4,000 people has seen a significant increase in spending on ELLs in just the past few years, according to documents obtained through a records request.

Charleroi Regional School District spent a total of $105,000 on English language learners in the 2020-2021 school year, covering teacher salaries and other ELL administrative costs, according to documents provided to DCNF. This number rose to $505,00 for the 2024-2025 school year.

Charleroi’s story is similar to what happened in Springfield, Ohio, which exploded nationally after former President Donald Trump mentioned it during a presidential debate last month. Trump made similar comments on the campaign trail about Charleroi and the country’s own immigration issues.

The percentage of elementary school students in this district who required English classes was in the low single digits a few years ago, but now that percentage has reached about 35%. According to New York Times. The influx was reportedly so dramatic that one English teacher was forced to work with students in a closet at the back of the classroom. (Related: Exclusive: Vice President Harris Shortlister collaborates with trans lobby to target non-transsexual children)

Roberts reiterated the logistical nightmare plaguing Charleroi’s public education system, saying that when her family visited her daughter’s elementary school for an event, “it was supposed to only take 30 minutes, but it ended up taking three hours.” He gave an example. This is because a large number of interpreters will be needed to support everyone.

Charleroi has seen a more than 1,100% increase in the number of English learners since 2021, according to records obtained by DCNF. The district had 18 English learners in the 2020-2021 school year, but that number jumped to 223 this school year. Records show that the majority of English learners enrolled in Charleroi are Haitian Creole speakers.

BRADock, Pennsylvania – August 24: Young children work on computers at 4Kids Early Learning Center in Braddock, Pennsylvania. August 24, 2004. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Like Springfield, the town of Charleroi has seen a sharp increase in car accidents involving Haitian drivers, Roberts said. She described how she received a phone call from the union hall’s landlord telling her the union could not hold a meeting the next day because a Haitian driver crashed into the building and “cut all the power lines.”

“Charleroi Area School District (CASD) is dedicated to providing a high-quality education to all students in a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment,” said Charleroi Superintendent Ed Zelich. said in a prepared statement. “This commitment extends to the growing number of English language learners (ELLs) whose diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds enrich our school communities.”

Zelig added in an interview with DCNF that the large increase in English language learners is “stressing” the district.

“It would be imprudent to say ‘everything is fine,'” he says. “The truth is we need more resources. We’re asking for more help.”

Charleroi isn’t the only Pennsylvania community experiencing a surge in immigrant students needing English classes.

Scherer Area School District saw a 466% increase in its ELL population from 2021 to 2024, according to records obtained through a records request. In the Shippensburg Area School District, the number of ELL students increased from 46 to 175 during the same period, a 280% increase.

The Philadelphia City School District, the state’s largest, grew its ELL population from 16,530 to 23,337 over the same period, and the number of non-English speaking students increased by nearly 7,000 in just three years.

The surge in students needing specialized English language instruction correlates with an explosion in funding for ELL services in many Pennsylvania schools. The rapid rise in ELL costs raises questions about how much the state’s taxpayers will be burdened with in the coming years if trends continue at their current pace.

DCNF investigated costs for English language learners in 16 Pennsylvania school districts through public records requests. On average, the additional cost was $3,483 per student. Using this average, DCNF estimates that the influx of students could cost taxpayers more than $97 million annually.

The cost of ELL education in the Shippensburg Area School District is only about $185,000 for the 2020-2021 school year, but the district’s taxpayers spent more than $600,000 this school year, according to documents obtained through a records request. There is.

The Montrose Regional School District, a rural area in northwestern Pennsylvania, spent about $65,000 on ELL teacher salaries and benefits for the 2020-2021 school year. That budget more than doubled to more than $135,000 by the 2023-2024 school year.

In the Bethlehem Area School District, records provided to DCNF reveal that the budget has allocated nearly $24 million for ELL spending since fiscal year 2021.

Regarding the situation in the school district, Karen said, “The number of students who need these services is definitely increasing.”

Cullen said Pennridge, located about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, hasn’t been inundated with thousands of immigrant students like other school districts in the state, but the number of English learners in the local student population has increased. He said he has noticed an increase. .

Karen also pointed out that unfairly blaming racism when discussing this issue does not help address what she emphasized is a legitimate issue for educators across the state. did. The issue is real and requires serious discussion, she said.

“When people turn around and say, ‘Oh, you’re just complaining because you’re prejudiced,’ that’s very wrong and it takes away from what’s needed to take care of the natives in town and the immigrants coming in.” It doesn’t help to provide it to the town,” Cullen explained.

Officials who spoke with DCNF said the surge in immigrant students could pose other logistical problems for administrators.

The influx of immigrants creates a unique problem for schools, with many English language learners enrolling and dropping out during the school year, explained Ed Salamon, former president of the Council Rock School Board. . This effectively wastes funding earmarked for English language learners in districts and leaves them with ELL staff who are no longer needed on the payroll.

The surge in immigrant children and the allocation of resources to house them is leaving some other native children behind.

“My daughter used to be behind and now she’s way behind,” Roberts told DCNF, noting that her younger child would likely have to start kindergarten all over again.

“What happens to the children who are behind?” she asked.

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