Educators put price on English as 2nd language

They say $300 million more is needed annually

Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 24, 2008 12:00 AM

The state will have to spend an additional $300 million a year to teach English successfully to non-native speakers in Arizona's schools, administrators said Wednesday.

That's nearly six times the $54 million the state currently spends on English-language-learner programs. And it puts an exclamation point on the financial dilemma facing the state as lawmakers grapple with budget deficits that reach beyond $1 billion.

Arizona is under a court order to improve instruction to children struggling to learn English.

The estimate released Wednesday by Arizona School Administrators offered the first glimpse at the overall cost of instruction and other services for such students.

"Generally, this issue is not on people's radar screens," said Debra Duvall, superintendent of the Mesa Unified School District, the state's largest. "It doesn't seem to be resonating with the ladies and gentlemen in the Legislature."