Anonymous wrote:

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

I don't think you can pinpoint any one reason for the deficit. All budget items contribute to the bottom line. Any many factors affect the amount available for spending.

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

PC

So the real reason for the deficit is the ESOL. How come the county just doesn't come out and say it?

Anonymous wrote:
I might be more sympathetic if they didn't wave Mexican flags at amnesty rallies.

Where were you California or Texas? Most of the hispanic immigrants in Fairfax County come from countries other than Mexico.

That was the rally in DC last week during the shutdown. Amnesty rally had permission to be there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here it is the elephant in the room that no one will address. Over 50% of students can't speak english and the majority are NOT from families that are educated (Asians)

"The number of Fairfax County students who speak a foreign language at home is likely to surpass 50 percent of the school population for the first time this month, reflecting a surge of immigrant families in Northern Virginia, school officials said. As total enrollment reached an all-time high of 181,500 students when school began Tuesday, Fairfax also saw a major increase in those who will need English language lessons. This year, about 31,500 students are projected to enroll in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), representing 17 percent of the total county student population and an increase of nearly one-third from last year."

http://www.fairfaxeducationcoalition.org/content/fairfax-schools-system-faces-growing-budget-challenge-more-students-need-esol-classes

Sounds like we need Preschool to start at age three- five so the kids are up and ready in K.

We have many, many students who come here after preschool. I am a high school ESOL teacher and our numbers keep growing. Personally, I think since the economy has gotten worse, fewer of these students are working and more are deciding to come to school at the ages of 17 and 18. Unfortunately, most of these students are very poorly educated in their own language, so it is a challenge to have them learn English and graduate from high school.

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand people who complain about teaching the children of undocumented immigrants. Do you or do you NOT want to break that cycle of dependency?

Teach their damn kids so they won't leach on the system like their parents.

um.. because it is driving a $140 million budget deficit?

I don't understand people who complain about teaching the children of undocumented immigrants. Do you or do you NOT want to break that cycle of dependency?

Teach their damn kids so they won't leach on the system like their parents.

Anonymous wrote:I might be more sympathetic if they didn't wave Mexican flags at amnesty rallies.

Where were you California or Texas? Most of the hispanic immigrants in Fairfax County come from countries other than Mexico.

The last time I looked at the dashboard, it seemed like almost every elementary school was either at or over capacity, so I don't think closing the AAP centers would really solve any problems. There are still too many bodies and not enough square footage.

I might be more sympathetic if they didn't wave Mexican flags at amnesty rallies.

Anonymous wrote:

In countries where education is poor -- including few chances to learn English -- parents are desperate for a better education for their children and will take many risks and incur many hardships to come here. Those children are most likely to arrive speaking no English or very little English.

Yet these are the ones whose kids are not being pushed to learn English or do well in school. I think they come for the jobs. Not the education. Many do not make their kids go to school every day.

Jobs too. But not making their kids go to school every day doesn't mean the parents don't care about education or didn't come here for better educational opportunities. Kids may need to stay home to take care of younger siblings because the parent can't afford child care. Or the child has to go to work with the parent because the parent has to go to work early and doesn't want to leave the child home alone to walk to school or catch the bus. Maybe the grandmother or uncle was supposed to help but didn't show up that day. Many logistical or financial factors could play into low attendance. It doesn't necessarily indicate not caring about school.

Anonymous wrote:At the same time that I see problems created by undocumented families, I understand why they are here.

+1

This should factor in to the state funding level (the Local Composite Index). I am guessing that the number of undocumented families is much higher in northern Virginia than it is in Blacksburg.

In countries where education is poor -- including few chances to learn English -- parents are desperate for a better education for their children and will take many risks and incur many hardships to come here. Those children are most likely to arrive speaking no English or very little English.

Yet these are the ones whose kids are not being pushed to learn English or do well in school. I think they come for the jobs. Not the education. Many do not make their kids go to school every day.

Koreans are a drop in the bucket of the FCPS ESOL funds. I agree, though, that we should not be paying for ESOL at TJ. TJ should require no remediation.

I think that unfortunately many who arrive not speaking English are undocumented. If the parents come legally for work, they are more likely to be highly educated (e.g., Ph.D. in technical field) and more likely to have provided educational opportunities for their children back home -- the children are more likely to have learned some level of English before arriving here.

In countries where education is poor -- including few chances to learn English -- parents are desperate for a better education for their children and will take many risks and incur many hardships to come here. Those children are most likely to arrive speaking no English or very little English.

I have empathy for those from countries where the educational opportunities are so poor. What would you do if through luck of the draw you were born in a country with few resources and your child would have no chance to go to a decent school or ever go to college? At the same time that I see problems created by undocumented families, I understand why they are here.