September 14, 2018
Additional Discussion of K12 Costs – Bilingual Education Proposals
In This News Story: Rounds Consulting

Our firm has been conducting a number of policy analyses related to taxation and K12 education funding. We have also begun examining how to best secure new tax revenue and deploy the funding to achieve the highest return on investment (ROI) possible. The efforts also include various components of higher education.

As a result, we explored the funding of a broad-based bilingual program in the state. This is a topic we had not researched but were interested in examining.

Our firm has been conducting a number of policy analyses related to taxation and K12 education funding. We have also begun examining how to best secure new tax revenue and deploy the funding to achieve the highest return on investment (ROI) possible. The efforts also include various components of higher education.

As a result, we explored the funding of a broad-based bilingual program in the state. This is a topic we had not researched but were interested in examining.

Overview

A student will have a distinct advantage in life from being fluent in several languages. Presently, students can already study a foreign language of their choosing.

The implementation of a large scale bilingual program, where core subjects are taught in both languages, would prove to be very expensive based on the research and analysis we conducted. One study was particularly useful (the first one listed below under Suggested Reading). It identified that costs per student could rise between 10% and 16%. However, the research does not appear to include dynamic effects on costs such as additional teachers and staff. The additional demand for a significant change in policy would also likely push up the cost of an individual instructor. Programming changes would also be required. The costs will also vary depending on how the program is implemented. The current discussions in Arizona related to bilingual programs lack specificity, perhaps purposefully given the cost estimates of such an endevour.

For some perspective, for Fiscal Year 2018 there were an estimated 1.12M students in the state. The combined state, local and federal funding per student was estimated to be $9,774 based on Joint Legislative Budget Committee statistics from the prior year. A 10% increase in overall cost would equal $977 per student, or more than $1.0B. A 10% increase to just the state’s portion of funding would amount to $476 per student, or more than $500M.

In reality, only a small scale program would be feasible at these costs and would not likely produce the benefits to justify the expenditures. This proposal is very different than current English Language Learner (ELL) programs that are indeed needed in the state. This program would rank low on our list of education funding priorities.

Suggested Reading

Our opinion on this topic is based on a review of several documents and interviews with individuals that are knowledgeable in this area. A sample of the reviewed documents related to Texas communities is displayed below along with one that covers the debate in Canada.

“Implementation, Cost, and Funding of Bilingual Education in Texas: Lessons for Local and State Policymakers”
College of Education at the University of Texas at El Paso
https://www.utep.edu/education/cerps/_Files/docs/briefs/CERPS_Policy_Brief_2_Bilingual_Education.pdf

“Boomtown Kids: Harnessing Energy & Aligning Resources for Dual Language Learners in San Antonio, Texas”
New America
https://static.newamerica.org/attachments/10361-boomtown-kids/Boomtown%20Kids%20(1).95aded6ef2f847739e837273b9ee840b.pdf

“Bilingualism Costs Ontario Big Bucks”
Toronto Sun & Fraser Institute
https://torontosun.com/2012/01/15/bilingualism-costs-ontario-big-bucks/wcm/7d8969b2-185c-4774-8a8f-f521bc161b04
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/official-language-policies-of-canadian-provinces-rev.pdf

“Texas Dual Language Program Cost Analysis”
Texas A&M University, Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development
http://www.lwvirving.org/files/dual_language_cost_analysis.pdf

JimRounds

Post by: Jim Rounds

 

 

 

 

 

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