Immigrants Afraid that English Classes May Be Eliminated

One of the most important things an immigrant can do in order to assimilate into American society and succeed as a citizen is to learn the English language. For immigrants who want to learn English, free language lessons are available through local libraries, community non-profit groups, and government organizations. By attending classes and gaining a good grasp of the national language, immigrants can more easily open and manage bank accounts, rent or buy houses or apartments, get proper medical care, navigate road and subway signs, and even get work as interpreters for others who are learning the language.

But in today’s uncertain economy, states are either considering or enacting budget cuts to adult literacy English classes, which are important resources for communities of immigrants. New York Governor David Paterson is proposing a budget that will eliminate three programs containing English education. The budget will cut funding for these programs to $8.6 million, which is a 33% reduction in funding. Mayor Michael Bloomberg also has proposed a budget for New York City that eliminates two sources of funding from the City Council for English classes. According to Anthony Ng of United Neighborhood Houses, those city programs are currently budgeted at almost $7 milion.

Margie McHugh of the National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy at the Washington, DC-based Migration Policy Institute says that many states are facing budget shortfalls that may result in the necessity to cut back on funding for adult literacy education. California has already enacted such budget cuts.

Immigrants living in New York City are hoping that by the time city and state operating budgets are made final, the funding will be restored. Some of the city programs did not exist in Bloomberg’s previous budget proposals, but they have been brought in during the process of creating a budget. Just not in the amounts of money that supporters of adult literacy programs had hoped to see.

At rallies against the budget cuts, immigrants have pointed out that helping immigrants learn English helps them get better jobs with more income, thereby increasing the amount of taxes they pay each year. Opponents of the budget cuts say that the resources to be eliminated are already in short supply as they are, with hundreds of students already taking classes while hundreds more are on waiting lists. They say that many immigrants are eager to study English in order to be fully integrated into American society, so reducing the availability of adult literacy programs will result in fewer people being helped by the programs.

Advocates supporting English classes for immigrants say that a bad economy is the worst time to be cutting back on teaching English to immigrants, because they are seeking to improve their skills in order to compete in the tough job market. Federal stimulus money may make a difference in how local and state budgets decide to handle adult literacy programs, but until those decisions are made, immigrants wanting to learn English can only wait and worry.