by Willie Colón Reyes
With the School District facing a projected budget shortfall of $38.8 million, it’s clear that more deep cuts are on the way. One of the District’s many challenges will be how to continue providing needed programs and services to English Language Learners (ELLs). Part of the answer seems to be through forming key partnerships.
A presentation by School Reform Commissioner Feather Houstoun on January 19 mentioned eliminating all Bilingual Counseling Assistants (BCAs) as one possible extreme measure to help alleviate the budget gap. But services to ELL students and families were spared in the latest round of cuts announced on February 3.