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Article published Nov 7, 2007 Cost for English language program rising
By Joel Davis of The Daily Times Staff
The number of students requiring English-as-a-second language instruction has jumped in Blount County Schools, significantly increasing costs for the service. Fiscal Administrator Troy Logan told the Blount County Education Committee Tuesday that the schools would have to ask for a budget amendment later in the fiscal year because there were 112 students enrolled now compared to about 80 last year.
“Our costs this year are significantly more,” Logan said. “The budget is currently about $160,000. What we’ll probably be wanting is in the upper $200,000s. ... We do get some federal monies to help offset that. It’s about $13,000.”
“Is there any way to see if the children are legal?” asked Commissioner John Keeble. “I don’t think you can ask that,” Blount County Schools Director Alvin Hord said.
Blount County Schools is required by federal law to provide supplementary instruction for students who are not proficient in English. The ESL program is housed at Eagleton Middle School, although it is taught through a contract with Maryville College. The facility on the college campus where the program was formerly housed has been torn down due to construction. Blount County and Maryville, which also contracts for the services, split the utility and maintenance costs.
Participation in the program has remained steady at Maryville City Schools where 85 students are enrolled now compared to 84 last year.
In other business, the Education Committee received a briefing about school overcrowding from Facilities Supervisor Brian Bell. He said that of the six schools currently classified as “intolerable,” Friendsville Elementary, Porter Elementary, Heritage Middle, Heritage High, William Blount Middle and William Blount High, three — Friendsville and William Blount Middle and High — would come off the list in 2008 when the new schools currently under construction are opened.
“Because of the ongoing building process, three of them will not be on the list,” Bell said. “... Are we making headway on this? Absolutely.”