Here Are The REAL Numbers On Illegal Minors Flooding Louisiana Schools

Recently, it was reported that the number of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who were relocated to the state of Louisiana was around 1,275. That number, though, has progressively increased now to 1,652 UACs whom the state will have to educate in its school districts, according to numbers given to US Senator David Vitter from State Superintendent John White.

The huge influx of illegal minors to the state will likely cost taxpayers $7 million, if not more, to educate them just in the 2014-2015 school year.

“This rapid influx puts an additional burden on teachers who will be expected to accommodate non-English speaking students. That’s not fair to the teachers and not fair to the students in the classroom,” said Vitter in a news release. “President Obama’s failure to enforce basic immigration laws is now causing a huge financial burden for Louisiana.”

Here is a breakdown showing how many UAC’s have been relocated to the state, as well as the statistics based on parish school districts who have begun taking in these children. And to note, some of the parishes have not provided a cost estimate, therefore the estimates cost only account for less than two thirds of the illegal minors.

Parish Total # of Unaccompanied Children Relocatedbetween Jan. 1 – Aug. 31, 2014 Estimated Cost to Educate UACs
East Baton Rouge Parish 289 $948,137
Jefferson Parish 575 $4,600,000
Lafayette Parish 107 N/A
Orleans Parish 256 N/A
St. Tammany Parish 145 $1,425,640
Unidentified Parish 280 N/A
TOTAL 1,652 $6,973,777

With the influx of 286 new unaccompanied children, the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPS) has said that it will need to hire 7 new teachers, 7 English as a Second Language (ESL) Paraprofessionals/Facilitators, 7 Parent/Student Advocates and 1 Practitioner License (PL) teacher. EBRPS over $900,000 cost for these new students includes $21,000 for translation materials and supplies.

For the Jefferson Parish School System, the district will need to hire 27 new English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers, 20 New ESL Para-Educators, 19 Regular Education Teachers and 3 Special Education Teachers to educate the 575 new unaccompanied children in their school system. All of this will cost the district roughly $4.6 million.

In the Lafayette Parish School System, which is expecting 107 new unaccompanied children, the district has hired 1 new English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher for a new ESL program at the High School career center and plans on hiring 7 additional ESL Teachers and 7 additional Bilingual Assistants. Also, the district plans to open a new elementary ESL program for grades K-5. No cost estimate was provided for the parish.

And finally, in the St. Tammany Parish School System, since it is estimating 145 new unaccompanied children in the school district, the school system has hired 1 English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher and 8.5 ESL Aides. All of this will cost the district roughly $1.4 million.

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