Thread: Law could impact school enrollment

Law could impact school enrollment
By Jeremy Redmon

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Metro Atlanta school officials plan to closely monitor their enrollment figures over the summer now that Georgia’s tough new immigration enforcement law is about to take effect.

The reason: Many illegal immigrants could leave the state and pull their children out of public schools if opponents are unable to block the law in federal court.

It’s too early to cite trends in Georgia. But Arizona, which passed a similar immigration law last year, suspects it is the reason hundreds of children have left some of its schools.

A lot is at stake for Georgia schools. Student enrollment changes can affect state and federal funding schools receive per student, staffing and school construction plans and even how school attendance boundaries are drawn.

Proponents of the law say Georgia taxpayers will save money in the long run by reducing the state’s student population growth and the need for programming for non-English speaking students.

The immigration law is scheduled to take effect July 1. But a federal judge could rule as soon as Monday on a request by civil and immigrant rights groups to block the law. They argue the law is unconstitutional. State lawmakers deny that and predict the law will stand.

The measure doesn’t specifically address schools. But it does empower police to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects and arrest illegal immigrants.

That provision is the one that most frightens those who say they are readying to flee Georgia.

The potential impact for schools is unclear. School officials say federal law prohibits them from inquiring about a child’s immigration status.

But the state does track students who receive special English language lessons. There were 82,112 enrolled across the state during the school year that just ended, according to the state Department of Education. Over half of them — 42,581 — were in Atlanta-area schools.

It’s unknown how many of those students are in the country illegally. Georgia spends $8,761 to educate each student on average — not including federal funds — meaning the potential fallout from a mass exodus could be millions of dollars in lost revenue for schools having to calibrate spending post-recession.

Gwinnett County had the most English-language learners in the Atlanta area with 18,834, followed by DeKalb County at 9,329.

DeKalb Area Assistant Superintendent Kenneth Bradshaw said he has heard anecdotes of families withdrawing their children from schools because of the new immigration enforcement law. He said he was going to discuss with other school officials how an exodus of students could impact staffing plans.

“There is just a feeling of being unsettled, just not knowing,â€

Again here.... tough s---! if I commit a crime (and yes,being here illegallyIS A CRIME) My kids wouldnt get to benefit from the spoils,why do they think they are any different?

The reason: Many illegal immigrants could leave the state and pull their children out of public schools if opponents are unable to block the law in federal court.

Let's hope and pray they do pull their kids out of school and head back South of the border.

W

[quote]Mateo is now seeking a Mexican passport for her eldest daughter, Stephanie, so they may return to their native country this year. The teen just graduated from Path Academy, where she directed and starred in a musical production of “Hairspray.â€

California here we come
They have the best welfare system
All we do is pop out a kid or three
And then we get the money for free

California here we come
Sanctuary cities up the bum
It does not matter that we are poor
If we out breed them they will head for the door

California here we come
The state was stolen from us by Americans
And now we have the upper hand
Hey gringo time for you to get off our land


California here we come
We don't have to worry about assimilation
We have setup our communities
All we want from gringo is to pay our subsidies

Lets see:

Illegals pulling children out of schools:

Cons-

*Less federal Funding

Pros-

*Less students per teacher allowing teachers to better help individuals
*Less Funding needed as fewer kids
*Less in Vandalism in the school and surrounding neighborhood
*Less drug, sex, and other non vandalism crimes in the area
*Less disturbance in the classroom allowing good students to learn better
*Less teacher and staff abuse
*Less to no more need for ESL (English as Second Language class's)
*Less demand for a "Latino / Mexican" studies program
*Less workload on teachers and administrators
*Less school funding needed yearly to replace damaged, stolen, sold school property
*Less use of free school lunch programs.


I have more pro's also but think that list will do for starts. Looks fairly obvious to me which wins out.

Other than disrupting the financial empires that some school systems have built , what is bad about less federal funding??

Yes, the numbers of teachers needed will be reduced. That's business. To look for the federal money and the illegal students to enrich the coffers of a school district is no different than farmers seeking illegals to work the fields for less pay and in some cases collecting subsidies at the same time. Or home builders to want more people to come so they can make more money building homes for people who do not legally belong here.

If we let millions more in, the economy will, be stimulated for a while. Most of the jobs and opportunities will go to a few American employers and the jobs to the illegals. No help to America's workers.

Are there no patriots left? Does everyone fold for the federal money? Where in heavens' name do those who support these programs comes from? It comes from the rest of us.

I understand the concerns of job loss. Who doesn't? But in the rise and fall, boom and bust of capitalism, the peaks are higher and the dwells are lower when the country's economy is falsely inflated with the populations of illegal immigrants.

Fewer teachers or fewer ESL teachers? Big difference.