Editorial: Supporting English instruction

Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007 | 2:22 a.m.

Nevada is losing $2.6 million of the funding it needs to teach children how to speak the English language because federal officials changed the formula they use to determine how much money states receive for such instruction.

A story in the Las Vegas Sun last week reported that most of the money received for English language programs goes to the Clark County School District, in which 70 percent of the state's students are enrolled. One in five of those students has limited English proficiency, the Sun's Emily Richmond reports.

According to the federal government's new formula, the number of Clark County students needing English language instruction has decreased, so its funding was cut. Members of Nevada's congressional delegation have pressed U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings for an explanation. Spellings defended her department's math, but noted that the department is making changes to the formula to improve accuracy in 2008.

Still, as the Sun reports, that doesn't help Clark County students now. The district must continue its hiring freeze on language specialists and cannot expand successful language programs.

Federal law requires that public schools provide adequate education to students, including those who are not originally from the United States or who have limited English skills. But more than that, the ability to proficiently speak English is crucial to success in this country. And until the federal government gets its act together, Nevada's governor, lawmakers and education officials should find some way to make certain that this vital language instruction continues in our public schools.