Colorado schools get extra $24 million for migrant enrollment – Washington Examiner

Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) signed a bill Thursday that would give public and charter schools affected by the recent rise of undocumented migrant students enrolling in them a one-time $24 million boost from the state education fund. 

The Colorado Department of Education will determine how much school districts receive using a multitiered funding model that’s based on how many new students enrolled following an annual October headcount that sets each district’s state funding. 

“Schools are scrambling to ensure that they have the funds to be able to support both our new students and the needs that they have with paraprofessionals, folks who can help with English language acquisition and all of the wraparound services that they need, as well as supporting all of the students who were already in our schools and as we face some overcrowding of classrooms,” Denver Rep. Emily Sirota, a Democrat, said during the bill-signing ceremony.

Sirota, who sponsored the legislation, called the unprecedented situation of asylum-seekers overwhelming city and state resources “quite substantial and unusual in terms of scope.”

By law, public schools are required to enroll minors regardless of immigration status. 

“It is our obligation still to make sure everybody entering our public schools is getting an education,” Sirota said. “There is more need for more paraprofessionals, more teachers, more English language services, more wraparound services.” 

Funding for districts and charter schools will come in two forms. First, they will receive a fixed rate between $15,000 and $750,000 from the Colorado Department of Education based on how many new students have been enrolled. Second, they will receive $4,500 per either their total net student population or the number of new arrivals. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

While funding is available for all Colorado schools affected by the migrant crisis, Denver, a self-described “sanctuary city,” has recorded the lion’s share, 41,055, of new arrivals. Of those, thousands have been enrolled in Denver Public Schools since the October funding deadline.  

“Our system was never built to handle this kind of challenge,” said Rob Gould, president of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. “You’re taking an already stressed system and applying more stress to it.”