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- HB42, which would allocate $500,000 to help schools contend with spikes in English-language learners, has received a favorable committee recommendation.
- The bill, which now goes to the full House, is meant to address the needs of immigrant students and other kids with limited English proficiency.
SALT LAKE CITY — A measure aimed at boosting funding at schools contending with surges of immigrant students and others with limited English proficiency is now headed to the full Utah House for consideration.
In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the House Education Committee passed HB42 on for further consideration with a favorable recommendation. The measure, one of several put forward by GOP lawmakers to contend with immigrants here illegally, would allocate $500,000 to assist schools with concentrations of new English-language learners. That's down from the $5 million originally proposed.
Utah schools have been on the front lines of the "trickle-over effect of the crisis at the southern border," said Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, the bill sponsor, and the measure aims to help address the situation. More specifically, the bill earmarks additional funds to help school districts better contend with the particular needs of students with limited English.
"We had one school that had almost 100 students show up on the first day of school who'd never been registered and didn't speak English," Pierucci said. "So this bill is really trying to be a shot in the arm, and it's truly emergency funding for those really serious situations."
Jordan School District has seen a 108% jump in students with limited English, she said, while the figures are 139% for Alpine School District and 107% in Canyons School District.
Several addressed the measure, most speaking in favor of HB42. While other bills that are part of the GOP package of immigration bills take a more punitive approach, increasing potential penalties immigrants here illegally face for criminal activity, for instance, HB42 would allocate funds to help address the situation, aiding students in the process.
Some school officials have said they'd use funds earmarked in HB42 to increase the number of teachers certified to teach the students who need extra help with English, thereby "making sure their learning needs are met," Pierucci said. That, in turn, would free up other teaching resources, "ensuring that all students' learning needs are better being met."
Rep. Matt MacPherson, R-West Valley City, cited estimates that he says put the number of students enrolled in Utah's public schools who are in the United States illegally at around 50,000. He referenced new initiatives at the federal level under President Donald Trump to deport people in the country illegally, asking if those efforts would impact need for the funding.
The "aggressive" spikes in the numbers of students with limited English capabilities may decline as the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration proceeds, Pierucci said. But she suspects it will take "quite some time" for the numbers to dip, also noting that many of the students who need extra help with English are in the country legally.
Several from the public addressed the committee on the measure, variously voicing support for it and saying the extra funding is needed.
Liliana Bolaños, a policy analyst with Voices for Utah Children, a nonprofit child advocacy group, noted that the impact of the funds would be felt by a cross-section of students, not just immigrants. It would "benefit all students who speak a different language at home, reflecting the diverse and vibrant communities that make up our state," she said.
Aimee Warren, of the Utah PTA, a child advocacy group made up of parents, said the organization hasn't taken an official stance on the measure. She, like some others, said lawmakers ought to consider how to allocate funds to districts that have already been contending with high numbers of English-language learners, like the Salt Lake City and Granite systems. As written, the bill would allocate funding to districts dealing with recent spikes in such students, not those with already high numbers.
Districts that see 75% or higher jumps in the numbers of students learning English over the prior three-year average and at least 30 more students would be eligible to apply for a piece of the $500,000. The State Board of Education would make decisions on allocating the money.
