New York, Blue States Plan Big Spending Boost on English Instruction

Illegal immigration increased the K-12 student population by more than 20,000 students in the nation’s largest school district.

Children look at their school grounds as they wait for class in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on Dec. 7, 2020. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

A sizable chunk of the proposed $1.1 billion increase in Empire State school aid next year would fund English language instruction for public K–12 students, officials said this week.

In its 2026–2027 budget and legislative priorities outline, New York’s Board of Regents calls for $996.8 million, up from this year’s $713.5 million, to serve more students in New York City and across the state who are still learning English.