Advocates Protest School Funding Cuts

New York, NY —

REPORTER: The groups say funding cuts will reduce English language classes for non-native speakers, who already have disproportionately high dropout rates.

Claire Sylvan, the executive director of the Internationals Network for Public Schools, says budget constraints will reduce enrichment programs for students from 90 countries who speak 55 languages.

SYLVAN: It breaks principals' hearts to make these cuts and it breaks our faculty's hearts to tell students we can't provide them.

REPORTER: The Education Department says despite the cuts, schools with high numbers of English-language learners will receive more funding this fiscal year than they've had in the past, thanks to earmarked funds.