Letter: Struggling districts and immigrant kids
In this June 18, 2014, file photo, detainees sleep in a holding cell at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility in Brownsville,Texas. Credit: AP / Eric Gay
The story “LI district promises to enroll immigrants” [News, March 1] misses the point.
The real story is how unfair and disastrous it is for several districts and communities — and their taxpayers — to be singled out and inundated by millions of dollars of unfunded requirements.
Yes, if a child lives in the district, the law says he or she must be educated. But why won’t the federal government at least allocate funding to educate these kids whom it has permitted to come and remain here? Why should a handful of districts bear the entirety of what should be a shared burden?
Many taxpayers in these few districts are already struggling and challenged. I believe the policy constitutes federally mandated discrimination and segregation. How ironic.
In the end, it does no good for these immigrant children to be passed through the system without hope of getting any kind of real education. Most of these districts are the poorest performers, and most of the kids graduate — if they graduate — unprepared for anything but menial jobs, let alone college.
Everyone has let down these children and the taxpayers in these districts. It is sad all around.
Peter I. Cavallaro, Westbury
Editor’s note: The writer is the mayor of the Village of Westbury.
Segregation is alive on Long Island. The proof is, if New York State really cared about the academic welfare of these immigrants, it would spread them out into wealthy districts like Jericho, Garden City, Plainview and Syosset. They can afford to pay for these students, more than Westbury, and the students would get the best education money can buy. My taxes pay for it. Westbury is right next to Jericho, so why not put the children in Jericho’s schools?
When students enter poor districts, people are less likely to make waves. Outcries from Jericho’s taxpayers would make the news and put our political representatives on the defense.
Jo-Ann Nowodzinski, Jericho
