On Tuesday November 17, at the New Americans Thanksgiving luncheon at the Massachusetts State House, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick accepted a report with 131 recommendations from the New Americans Agenda Policy Group. In his speech, the Governor emphasized the importance of reducing waiting lists for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes, which was one of the recommendations.
I applaud the Governor for his attention to the concerns of Immigrants and his understanding of the crucial role of ESOL instruction. Currently the state spends approximately $1,700 per student per year on ESOL instruction. Approximately 16,000 people are currently on waitlists for state and federal funded ESOL instruction in Massachusetts. At the current rate of spending, $27 million would have to be found to fund this expansion. I can’t think of any other investment that the state can make that offers a more promising return then investing in the skills levels of our residents.
