Thread: New Estimate Shows It Costs Nearly $44 Billion To Educate Illegal Aliens Annually

5:15 PM 09/14/2016
ALEX PFEIFFER

It cost taxpayers an estimated $43.9 billion to educate illegal alien students in the 2015-2016 school year, and $59.2 billion for programs to educate voters lacking proficient English skills, according to a Wednesday report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

FAIR estimated that it cost an average of $12,128 per illegal immigrant student in the last school year and there were an estimated 3.618 million illegal immigrant students nationwide. In addition, it takes at least $1.7 billion to educate 119,000 unaccompanied alien minors. “From January 2014 to June 2016, the federal government placed 118,929 UAMs with sponsors in the United States, typically a relative or acquaintance. This figure does not include UAMs who may have slipped past the Border Patrol,” the FAIR report stated.

Taxpayers across the country spent nearly $60 billion on non-English proficient students and the vast majority of this taxpayer cost was borne by state and local taxpayers. These students also were among the worst classroom performers.

“Educators measure four categories of achievement: Below Basic, Basic, Proficient and Advanced. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), administered by the U. S. Department of Education, indicates that only 7 percent of fourth grade LEP students performed at the Proficient level and just one percent demonstrated the ability to master Advanced work,” FAIR wrote in the report.

“That leaves 92 percent performing at Basic or Below Basic levels. In comparison, 40 percent of non-LEP fourth graders achieved the two highest levels, Proficient and Advanced, with one-third displaying Basic skills. The rest, 27 percent, scored Below Basic,” the report continued to say.

Students not proficient in English have dismal graduation rates. The report stated, “Only 39 percent of LEP pupils in New York, 24 percent in Nevada and 20 percent in Arizona graduate on time.” This means that taxpayers have to continue shelling out dollars for the poor English speakers. A majority of the non-English proficient speakers speak Spanish. However, there are a myriad languages teachers have to deal with.

“An article in a Nashville newspaper about public schools ‘straining at the seams’ chronicled an ELL student who maintained a B grade point average but lacked the ability to read or write English. In one LEP class, 35 students spoke 16 languages and displayed skills ranging,” the report stated.

http://dailycaller.com/2016/09/14/ne...iens-annually/

The burden is on property owners to pay for schools in Philadelphia with a 4 x property tax hike in 4 yrs.

It was always up to caring parents to find English language tutors if needed. One can't expect to come to an English speaking country and not realize as a parent IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to bring your child up to snuff. Why should they now, when obama is making us pay thru the nose for ESL teachers.

Nearly half a million U.S. citizens are enrolled in Mexican schools

That $44 billion a year would go a long long ways towards improving our schools for US citizens.