The budget adopted recently by the Fayette County School Board includes a continuation of funding for English proficiency education. It’s part of a multi-year effort to support English Language Learners.
Fayette Schools Spokesperson Lisa Deffendall said a 2015 audit demonstrated the need for more staff in special education, gifted and talented programs, and English Language Learners. She said funding for 15 additional teachers has been included in budgets adopted since then.
“When the superintendent was first hired our numbers were one teacher for every 200 students. We’ve since gotten that number down last year to one to 70 and I think this investment will bring that a little bit lower as well for next year,” said Deffendall.
Deffendall said teachers are needed in every grade for the English Language Learners program.
“We have students who come to us from war torn countries, whose education has been interrupted, who may have lived in terrible conditions before they got here and they have a lot of needs,” explained Deffendall.
Deffendall said there are more than 5,000 students in the Lexington school district who could benefit from the English Language Learners curriculum.
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