Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — ( WMAL) Illegal immigration may or may not play a growing role in the mounting budget challenges facing local governments, but – at least in Montgomery County – you won’t hear elected politicians blame their problems on the issue.
In the face of increasing enrollment at schools – some 2,500 students a year – the Montgomery County Council unanimously voted Thursday to increase property taxes 8.7 percent in part to decrease class sizes.
At that meeting council member Nancy Navarro warned people who are blaming overcrowding at schools on illegal immigrants to retink their positions.
“Our values are such that we welcome everyone in this county, and the reality is that people should be very careful with the generalizations they make, because you might be wrong,” Navarro said.
Council President Nancy Floreen told WMAL’s Mornings on the Mall Friday the reality is they don’t know how many illegal immigrants are enrolled in the county’s schools because they don’t check birth certificates.
“The end of the day though, the number’s minimal based on the statistics that we have, and we don’t have a lot. As I said, we don’t check,” Floreen said.
Federal law stemming from a 1982 Supreme Court Ruling requires public schools to provide equal access to education for all students. Schools are allowed to check utility bills or driver’s licenses for proof of residency, but they are not allowed to check immigration status.
Navarro is proud that Montgomery County openly welcomes illegal immigrants fleeing from dangerous living conditions in South and Central America.
Floreen contends not all immigrants in schools are here illegally. She said some are children of diplomats.
Floreen also attributes some of the growth in schools to a rising birth rate.
Whatever the reason for rising enrollment, with 2,500 new students coming to the county every year, council members agree they need to invest more money in schools to decrease class sizes, hire more teachers, give teachers raises and to build more classrooms.
“We are really pretty proud of this budget, actually,” says Floreen. “For the average homeowner, it comes out to less than a dollar a day, and I think that’s the way I’m hoping people will consider this,” she added.
In a statement Thursday, County Executive Ike Leggett applauded the council’s decision to invest in schools but cautioned against such large spending increases. He wrote the hefty increases in spending in FY17 will force severe budget cuts in FY18.
Thursday’s vote on the budget was a preliminary step. The council will take its final vote on the FY 2017 spending plan May 26.
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