AUSTIN – State Sen. José Rodríguez's SB 161, which would increase funding for programs that serve English Language Learner (ELL) students, was heard in the Senate Education Committee this morning.
ELL students in Texas typically have learned a language other than English in their home, and while the predominant language of ELL students is Spanish, multicultural Texas includes students in every corner of the state who grew up with any one of dozens of languages from all over the world.
"A focused investment in improving the language skills of students whose first language was not English would set Texas ahead. We are in a globally competitive economy, which depends heavily on international trade, especially with Mexico," Sen. Rodríguez said. "Further, we are still recovering from the deep cuts made to school funding in 2011. As evidenced by the ongoing school finance litigation brought by hundreds of the state's school districts, we are not investing enough in our public schools.
"More specifically, the court's findings identified a major element of our funding system's failure in serving low-income, ELL students," Sen. Rodríguez said. "The decision and the findings of fact make clear that these populations are where the constitutional deficiencies lie."
About 800,000 children, or some 17 percent, of Texas K-12 students fit this category. Many of these children are low-income. In fact, since the turn of the century, the number of children considered low income in K-12 has increased by about 1 million.
SB 161 is meant to address this issue. Unfortunately, the Legislature has not prioritized education funding in the proposed budgets of both House and Senate, instead prioritizing highway construction and tax breaks. Given the lack of support for a solution to the school funding issue, which will likely be the subject of a special session later this year or early next year, Sen. Rodríguez offered a committee substitute for SB 161, which requires study of both the appropriate level of funding and the most effective form of language education.
"SB 161 will provide us the data we need to address the persistent issues of our state not meeting its constitutional obligations for education," Sen. Rodríguez said.
Top El Paso Independent School District administrators testified in favor of the bill, with Superintendent Juan Cabrera and Chief of Academics Ivonne Durant noting that with targeted funding for ELL students the district would be able to offer supplemental programs that are proven to work, while freeing up resources for non-ELL students.
Other groups testifying in favor of the bill included Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE), the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), League of Women Voters, Texas Association of Community Schools, and Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA).
***
José Rodríguez represents Texas Senate District 29, which includes the counties of El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis, and Presidio. He represents both urban and rural constituencies, and more than 350 miles of the Texas-Mexico border. Senator Rodríguez currently serves as the Chairman of the Senate Hispanic Caucus, and is a member of the Senate Committees on Education; Health and Human Services; Veteran Affairs and Military Installations; Nominations; and Agriculture, Water, and Rural Affairs.