During his gubernatorial campaign, I asked Eliot Spitzer, if elected, whether he would respect the verdict in the famous “Campaign for Fiscal Equity” case, which directs the state to raise by a significant amount the education budget for New York City.
Speaking before the Mexican community leaders who gathered on this occasion, Spitzer said “yes.” The candidate repeated his promise at other public forums. In fact, the man who is now New York governor assured us that the education budget for the Big Apple would grow by between $4 and $6 million. Those who believe in Spitzer hope that, in the coming years, even more funds will be assigned to improve students' academic performance. Nevertheless, a new battle is approaching: the distribution of such funds.
In a letter dated January 11, the New York Immigration Coalition and 52 other organizations asked Governor Spitzer to use part of the promised funds to provide English Language Learners (ELLs) adequate support to improve their performance.
The Coalition specifically demands that the funds assigned to these students be doubled, and that the budget be modified so as to provide them with sufficient resources to cover the services they need, not just this year but permanently.
Without a doubt, the demand for a 100 percent increase in the budget for immigrants' education is a risky move. In contrast, the judicial order obtained by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity and the state legislature requires only a 20 percent increase for this group of students.
There are important players in New York who oppose the increase; some suggest that it is unnecessary while others feel the money should go to other projects. Some believe that allocating funds to programs that benefit all students (like universal preschool classes or a reduction in the number of students per class) would be better than concentrating on one specific group.
Others say that less money should be demanded in order to avoid negative reactions. But there are also many (myself included) who believe that if we seek to have a real impact on the education of children and youths who are learning English, a substantial increase in the funds assigned is indispensable. Such funds should be used for projects especially designed for immigrants because their needs require it.
The New York Immigration Coalition's letter states that the money should be spent for the following: 1) To increase the number and raise the quality of teachers of English and specialists in bilingual education; 2.) To provide more opportunities for learning English through additional classes, books and specialized materials, and to design tests that will measure this population adequately; and, 3.) To create effective programs to reduce the dropout rate and develop parent involvement in the schools.
The demand for such services is not fortuitous. Research and successful programs have shown that when immigrants can count on such support, not only do they learn English faster, but their rate of graduation from school is higher than that of other students. In other words, many of those who have recently arrived in this country, or who come from families where English is not spoken, have every intention of doing well in school, graduating and going on to college. The problem is that they do not have the tools, nor are they offered adequate services to enable them to do so. But if the funds of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity are used to resolve this problem, New York has a chance to transform radically the futures of hundreds of thousands of young people who would go from being students at risk of dropping out to successful graduates.
I join the New York Immigrant Coalition and associated organizations in asking Governor Spitzer to increase the funds for ELL students. I also invite readers to participate in this important effort, which has the possibility of changing the future of our community. The great majority of young immigrants want to move forward; they just need support. If this campaign succeeds, a large part of such support will be assured.
