Over the past two years, upwards of 18,000 young children in the Las Vegas metro area have received free monthly books in the mail as part of an early literacy program started by country icon Dolly Parton. But that ends this month.

Storied Inc., the Clark County-based nonprofit partner for Parton鈥檚 Imagination Library, last week announced to parents and guardians that its October books would be the last until additional funding for the program is secured. The program, when funded, provides a free, age-appropriate monthly book to children 0 to 5 years old.

According to Meredith Helmick, executive director of Storied, the nonprofit sought funding from the Nevada State Legislature earlier this year to keep the program going after an initial two-years of state grant funding ended, but they came up empty handed.

Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager sponsored a bill to appropriate to the United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra, which currently runs the Imagination Library for Washoe County residents, to expand the program statewide. The bill was referred to the Assembly Committee on Ways & Means, where it languished until the end of the regular session without a hearing or even a mention, according to the legislature鈥檚 website.

Helmick also hoped the nonprofit program might be able to secure funding through , Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro鈥檚 omnibus education legislation.

An early version of that bill appropriated $50 million for early childhood literacy readiness programs, but an amendment reduced that to $0 for the fiscal year beginning July 2025 and $12 million for the fiscal year beginning July 2026. Helmick says lawmakers chose to prioritize expansion of preschool seats, a Cannizzaro priority.

SB460 was heavily negotiated and amended to include many of Gov. Joe Lombardo鈥檚 education priorities. Those priorities included setting aside $7 million in grant funding for charter school transportation.

It appears those other priorities came at the expense of existing innovative programs that were working.

Helmick says a survey of her families last year found 62% of them had fewer than 20 children鈥檚 books in their homes before enrolling their children in the program.

鈥淭his program is such a low cost, high reward program,鈥� she added.

Helmick is hopeful the program can return to the Las Vegas area. She says Storied is having conversations with large companies and other nonprofits, reaching out to elected officials at all levels of government, and urging their supporters to do the same.

鈥淲e鈥檝e heard rumors of a special session,鈥� she adds. 鈥淐an we rewrite SB460 to include the language that it took out? Are there other funds that we could add or tap into that we could fit under? Maybe that鈥檚 an avenue.鈥�

鈥業t isn鈥檛 just about the books鈥�

Meredith Helmick and her husband, Kyle, were inspired to start Storied Inc. after attempting to sign up their daughter for Imagination Library only to learn the nationwide program didn鈥檛 serve their area.

Dolly Parton launched Imagination Library in 1995 and the program has since given out more than 250 million free books to children in the United States and four other countries.

Storied Inc. is one of several partners running the program in Nevada. According to Helmick, the other partners have managed to continue their programs, either in whole or by scaling down the number of kids served.

The sheer size of Clark County鈥檚 population makes that a tougher task for Storied. According to the Imagination Library鈥檚 website, nearly 29,000 Nevada children are enrolled, the vast majority through Storied.

Helmick says that before they even had a chance to market the program or figure out stable funding, an intrepid stranger found the sign up form and shared it on a social media group for parents in Las Vegas.

鈥淚n 48 hours, we had 3,500 kids registered,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淚t was, like, 鈥業 guess we鈥檙e doing it now.鈥� But it all worked out beautifully.鈥�

From there, the program quickly grew just by word of mouth. It was funded from June 2023 to July 2025 by a grant from the state鈥檚 Early Childhood Innovative Literacy Program. Participation fluctuates each month as kids are signed up or age out at 5 years old, but Helmick says it stays in the range of 18,000 or 19,000 thousand children spanning most of Clark County.

(Boulder City residents have a dedicated partner, Reading to Z, which currently serves fewer than 200 kids. Rural Clark County residents who live in Valley Electric Association鈥檚 service area can sign up for a program run by the energy cooperative鈥檚 charitable foundation.)

Over the summer, with the funding drying up, Storied stopped accepting new kids into the program.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to disappoint families鈥� by starting to send them books only to stop sending them a few months later, said Helmick. 鈥淥ne thing that sets (Imagination Library) apart is these books are sent directly to their home. I am a huge proponent of libraries. I鈥檓 there practically every week. But not everybody is able to do that. That is a barrier.鈥�

Additionally, the books arrive addressed to the child.

鈥淕etting it in the mail, the label with their name, it gives them ownership of the book,鈥� says Helmick. 鈥淚t makes a huge difference. I didn鈥檛 realize it until I heard it from families.鈥�

On the inside of each book cover is a note from Imagination Library with tips for parents on conversations they can have with their child about the book, or questions they can ask to boost critical thinking and early reading skills.

鈥淚t isn鈥檛 just about the books and the words and the stories you鈥檙e reading with your kids,鈥� said Helmick. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sitting together side by side. It鈥檚 having conversations with them.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: info@nevadacurrent.com.

The Nevada Legislature has passed a bill that provides long-term substitute teachers who work for 30 or more days .

The state Senate voted 16-4 Tuesday to approve the bill. It passed the Assembly in April by a vote of 31-11. Assembly Republicans Gregory Koenig, Heidi Kasama and Toby Yurek and Senate Republicans Pete Goicoechea, Scott Hammon, Ira Hansen, and Heidi Seevers Gansert voted for the bill.

Assembly Bill 282, if signed by the governor, would allow more than 1,000 educators to buy health care, according to the ACLU of Nevada.

The state has an and substitute teachers have been used more frequently, at pay capped at $120 per day with no benefits. The $450 stipend is based on the average monthly cost of non-Medicare/Medicaid insurance plans in the state,

鈥淭he teacher pipeline shortage has only continued to grow, and substitute teachers have become a lifeline to many of our schools,鈥� said ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah in a press release.

The Nevada State Education Association

The Nevada Association of School Superintendents, Washoe County School District (WCSD) and Clark County School District (CCSD) opposed the bill.

鈥淚t is absolutely ridiculous that our state鈥檚 two largest school districts, CCSD and WCSD, actually opposed a health insurance subsidy for full-time substitute teachers and refuse to provide them with health insurance,鈥� said Haseebullah in a press release on Tuesday.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: info@nevadacurrent.com. Follow Nevada Current on and .

Some campuses could see those numbers rise further still: In May, a , which kept millions of people from seeking in the United States, is set to expire 鈥� a development that comes amid a crippling teacher shortage in parts of the nation. 

Newcomers鈥� impact on social services, including schools, has long been a talking point for politicians. It鈥檚 also been posited as by New York City鈥檚 Democratic mayor, Eric Adams, who began upon their request: His administration cited their rising numbers as a key factor in this month鈥檚 , including to the . 

The White House has taken note of the educational imperative. President Joe Biden, in his March 9 budget address, proposed devoting in fiscal year 2024 to help these students gain English proficiency 鈥� a over the current amount. He鈥檚 also pushing for an additional $90 million to build multilingual teacher pipelines through Grow-Your-Own initiatives and $10 million for post-secondary fellowships to further bolster the educator pool.

But it鈥檚 unclear if this new round of funding will meet the needs of one of the fastest-growing student groups in the country. English learners made up 10.4% of total U.S. enrollment in 2019, according to the most recent available , up from 8% in 2000.

To gauge how these students are being served, 蜜桃影视 reached out to 13 school districts across the country representing hundreds of thousands of English learners requesting information about their numbers and their teachers鈥�.  

ESL Student to Teacher Ratio

Responses received over the past several months show dramatic differences in student-teacher ratios ranging from roughly 4:1 in San Diego, 9:1 in the Houston Independent School District and 11:1 in both Chicago and Cypress Fairbanks, which also serves Houston. It’s approximately 23:1 in Los Angeles and Las Vegas鈥檚 Clark County schools, and 30:1 in Baltimore City, though school officials there say it鈥檚 usually closer to 40:1. 

鈥淢ost teachers are begging for there to be a cap on classes, but there usually isn鈥檛,鈥� said Pamela Broussard, a long-time educator who serves new arrivals just outside Houston. The magic number for her, she said, is 15, but the U.S. Department of Education does not regulate this figure, a spokesman said: It鈥檚 a state and local issue. 

A manageable class size, experts and educators say, depends on students鈥� age, English proficiency, level of trauma and the instructional model used to help them, among other factors, including the teacher鈥檚 own training.

In the classroom 

When queried about their experiences by 蜜桃影视 on a Facebook group for English language instructors, dozens of educators replied, describing a vast array of conditions in the classroom.

Those with caseloads hovering around 20 or 30 generally found their workload manageable while those responsible for 75 or more multilingual learners found it untenable.  

Some say they have supportive administrators, make great use of related technology, employ top-notch curriculum and work alongside highly trained peers in a single building 鈥� with the help of paraprofessionals. 

Others say they are the only such teacher in their district, work across several campuses and struggle with scheduling, plus administrative duties and paperwork. Among the most exasperated are those who have little assistance and serve students of varying age, need and ability. 

鈥淣o limit for me,鈥� wrote one Oklahoma teacher. 鈥淚鈥檓 personally responsible for around 80 and do paperwork and supervise over an additional 30 to 40.鈥�

Jody Nolf, a literacy engagement specialist based in Palm Beach County, Florida, said the appropriate class size depends on whether, for example, students missed years of schooling or were unable to read in their home language 鈥� all of which can slow their progress.  

鈥淪ome teachers do well with 20 to 25,鈥� said Nolf, who works with East Coast school districts. Others, she said, barely manage 10 to 15 when students鈥� needs are great.   

鈥淔ew of us, however, teach in ideal circumstances,鈥� she said.聽

If the primary purpose of English language instruction is for children to make gains in reading, writing, speaking and listening, Houston鈥檚 Broussard said, students need time to tackle all four tasks. 

鈥淪maller class sizes give children time to talk,鈥� said the teacher, whose charges, many of whom hail from Cuba and Venezuela, have lived in the United States for less than six months. 

By the numbers 

New York City Public Schools reported roughly 150,000 multilingual learners among some in the 2021-22 school year. The figure excludes charters 鈥� and the who鈥檝e enrolled in the past year. 

Some 77,000 of these children were identified as newcomers, meaning they had three or fewer years of English language learner status. Roughly 9,500 of the city鈥檚 teachers had either a bilingual and/or English-as-a-Second-Language credential. 

Teachers in bilingual education classes instruct students in two languages while ESL teachers focus on English 鈥� as do those labeled . 

Georgia鈥檚 Cobb County serves more than 12,000 multilingual learners 鈥� more than 1,300 are newcomers 鈥� with 274 ESOL teachers. More than 1,800 other educators have some certification in this area, the district said, but it鈥檚 not clear how many teach English exclusively to these students.

Baltimore also serves a substantial number of newcomers, defined by that district as those who have been in U.S. schools for less than a year and are at the lowest English proficiency level. More than 1,500 of the district鈥檚 nearly 9,000 multilingual learners fit this category.  

Brevard Public Schools in Florida has 723 such students out of 3,181 multilingual learners. It has 27 English to Speakers of Other Languages teachers to serve them. Seven positions remain vacant. The district also has 55 bilingual assistants 鈥� 16 spots remain open. 

Students assigned to Clark County’s Global Community High School, designed to serve newcomers, enjoy a 10:1 student-teacher ratio: It has just 165 students and 16 teachers. Another 3,792 newcomers are elsewhere in the Las Vegas school district. 

While many school systems across the country employ specially designated staff to help immigrant students build their initial inroads to learning, other districts, including Brevard, provide none. Houston ISD has 4,125 newcomer students and no specifically assigned staff to serve their unique needs.

Teacher training 

As with class size, there鈥檚 little agreement regarding what constitutes teacher preparedness, a fact evidenced by vastly different state standards. Some educators who responded to 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Facebook queries said they earned their credentials after passing a single test 鈥� many sought additional training afterward 鈥� while others had to complete numerous courses and spend many hours in the classroom working with multilingual learners. 

No matter how they win the designation, said Diane Staehr Fenner, founder and president of SupportEd, which aims to provide educators with the skills and resources they need to serve these children, these instructors must understand how language works, use culturally relevant and responsive materials and have expertise in crafting and implementing effective lesson plans. 

They must also collaborate effectively with other teachers, design appropriate classroom assessments and know how to interpret the scores their students earn on the state-wide English language proficiency exams that determine whether they are eligible for services. 

Staehr Fenner credits the Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages International Association鈥檚 P-12 for the criteria. She said these educators must also protect students鈥� legal rights; they should 鈥渞eally empower multilingual learners and all of the teachers who work with them.鈥�

Schools are legally obligated to enroll all children who live within their district boundaries, , according to the 1982 Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe. Almost a decade earlier in 1974, the high court ruled in that schools must provide appropriate services to students who do not yet speak English. 

But multilingual learners face ongoing discrimination: Districts across the country have been sued for failing to and these children. 

Boston Public Schools has been under court order since 1994 to direct a more equitable share of its federal funding toward this group, but last month a longtime legal monitor said Boston school leaders recently for the records documenting how it spent the money. 

Learning a new language   

The goal of providing appropriate services is to move newly arrived and non-English speaking students to the place where they are proficient and can learn in English without additional support.

Tim Boals, founder and director of WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, said studies show it takes either four to seven or five to seven years for a child to exit ESL services. But there are variations: Some children graduate from such programs in three years, he said. For others, it takes longer. 

鈥淏eing younger is assumed to be a big advantage, but that鈥檚 not always the case,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f kids don鈥檛 come with basic reading skills in their home language, that can slow things down. Arriving in high school can also be hard since kids have only four to five years typically to 鈥榗atch up鈥� and accrue credits.鈥�

Added time is unlikely in many classrooms as teacher shortages persist: While the English learner population is growing, staff are . 

Officials from Baltimore City Schools, who said they travel all over the country looking for staff and also recruit from overseas, hope to hire at least 25 more teachers in the coming months to serve this student group. 

The need was so drastic last fall that administrators and other leadership staff went back into the classroom to teach, with some staying on for months. 

鈥淓very year has been hard trying to find teachers,鈥� said Lara Ohanian, the district鈥檚 outgoing director of differentiated learning. 鈥淎fter the pandemic, with this national teacher shortage, we have seen even more challenges.鈥�

Ohanian said the student teacher ratio varies throughout the year and is more typically 35 or 40:1. 

It can be difficult for schools to plan or predict class size as many children arrive long after the academic year begins, said Ferlazzo, of Sacramento, a city that has become from all over the world.

鈥淪chools didn鈥檛 know a Russian invasion of Ukraine would cause an influx of refugees late in the school year,鈥� he said. 鈥淥r know the Afghan government was going to collapse.鈥�

Florida鈥檚 Duval County Public Schools has 9,597 multilingual learners and 2,747 teachers to support them: 329 held an English to Speakers of Other Languages K-12 certificate, which requires passing an ESOL K-12 Area test, and much of the remainder had an ESOL endorsement, which demands 300 hours of specialized courses. 

The district had 3,199 newcomer students and 77 teachers to support them. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest, has 6,786 in grades 9 through 12 alone 鈥� and 19 dedicated staffers at three high schools to help them.

The Paradise Valley School District, which serves students in the Phoenix area, has 2,024 multilingual learners this school year and 69 properly endorsed teachers who teach targeted English language development. 

McAllen Independent School District, located on the Texas-Mexico border and long accustomed to serving newcomers, is home to 7,338 English learners and has more than 550 teachers to serve them. 

A trio of reactions to new arrivals 

The resources allotted to these students might depend on their reception by their school district: In some cases, Sacramento鈥檚 Ferlazzo said, immigrant students are considered an inconvenience. 

鈥淭heir needs are not prioritized,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat might result in putting (English learners) into classes with English proficient students with no extra support at all.鈥�

Ted Hamann, professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, has long studied children who were educated in both America and Mexico as their families traversed the border. 

He said schools and communities faced with a significant uptick in new arrivals react in three ways: through a spirit of welcome, disquiet or xenophobia. 

In the first instance, people regard the influx as a positive development, a reflection of their town鈥檚 attractiveness to newcomers. In the second case, locals note the change with curiosity or uncertainty, but general neutrality. 

The last reaction is hostile, in which newcomers are cast as a threat or contaminant. 

鈥淲hat is striking,鈥� Hamann said, 鈥渋s that in most of the communities we work in, we see all three.鈥�

On campus, it鈥檚 up to school leaders to determine which reaction is dominant, he said, adding our duty to educate multilingual learners in this country should hinge on a belief that all children deserve investment, no matter where they come from 鈥� or where they are headed. 

鈥淲e owe in the present to these kids a future that may or may not be geographically local,鈥� Hamann said. 鈥淲hat kind of world do we want to live in 鈥� where we have reciprocity to each other, or we don鈥檛? Can we be generous to each other or is it this desperate struggle for survival?鈥� 

The Clark County School District wants to make sex education mandatory unless parents explicitly opt their child out 鈥� a switch from the current process wherein parents must explicitly opt their child in to health education.

CCSD, the nation鈥檚 fifth-largest school district, declined to elaborate on its plans but included the proposal in a list of it plans to submit for the upcoming legislative session, which begins in February.

Nevada is one of where parents or guardians must give permission before students can enroll in sex ed. The others are Utah, Texas, Mississippi, and Arizona.

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State Assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod, a Democrat, introduced in 2019 which would have made sex education opt-out and required teaching statewide evidence-based and factual information about puberty, pregnancy, parenting, body image, and gender stereotypes.

The bill died in committee, but Bilbray-Axelrod plans to reintroduce it in the upcoming session.

Under state statutes, schools are only required to teach medically accurate sex education about AIDS.

Nevada ranked first in the nation for having the of primary & secondary (P&S) syphilis in 2020, the most current data available.

Only 17 states in America require sexual education to be medically accurate, . States鈥� definitions of what constitutes medically accurate sex education differ substantially nationwide 鈥� with some having health departments review the curriculum and others having the curriculum based on information from sources that medical professionals use.

The and the burgeoning public health crisis of have renewed interest nationally in expanding efforts to revamp sex education.

CCSD currently does teach .

鈥淚鈥檓 not worried about CCSD,鈥� said Bilbray-Axelrod, 鈥渂ut I am more worried about other counties.鈥�

Without a statewide mandate more rural counties and at-risk populations like homeless youth or children in the foster care system, who face additional barriers to getting a guardian or parent鈥檚 signature, are left underserved.

Nevada consistently has the and has the highest rate of children nationally.

Both and have higher rates of STIs than their peers.

鈥淭here are homeless children who don鈥檛 have parents to opt in to sex education,鈥� Bilbray-Axelrod said.

While 31% of Nevada high school students reported having sexual intercourse at least once, 44% did not use a condom, the only birth control method that prevents STIs,

Of the roughly 26 million new cases of STIs in the U.S., half are among people ages 15 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but the CDC reports that medically accurate sex education can prevent HIV, STIs, and unintended pregnancy for teens and young adults.

Reported cases of gonorrhea, P&S syphilis, and syphilis among newborns () were all up in 2020 compared to 2019, and early data indicates the trend continued in 2021,

Bilbray-Axelrod鈥檚 2019 bill wasn鈥檛 the only sex education-related bill in recent years.

In 2017, , which would have periodically updated course content to be medically accurate, was passed mostly by Democrats, and had , but was vetoed by then-Gov. Brian Sandoval.

鈥淲hile local school boards and educators play an important role in sex education courses, the role of the parents in this system is most important,鈥� said Sandoval in his veto statement.

If the issue does arise in the upcoming session, it will no doubt raise the ire of conservative groups, like Power2Parent, whose president and CEO Erin Phillips lobbied for that Sandoval veto.

Phillips acknowledged that vulnerable groups like the homeless and foster youth have a lot of needs, but said she doesn鈥檛 believe opt-out sex education is high on that list.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a solution in search of a problem,鈥� she said.

At the national level, Nevada U.S. Democratic Rep. Dina Titus co-sponsored the 鈥嬧��, which would require sex education curriculum to be comprehensive and medically accurate. Neither that bill nor a measure in the Senate has moved beyond introduction.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: info@nevadacurrent.com. Follow Nevada Current on and .

The delay is significant, experts say, because points to a direct correlation between the closures and lost learning.

Of the nation鈥檚 25 largest districts, those that were in remote learning for at least half of the 2020-21 school year have spent an average of roughly 15% of their relief funds from the American Rescue Plan. 

compiled by the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University shows that Los Angeles Unified, where schools stayed closed until April 2021, didn鈥檛 start spending any of its $2.5 billion until this fall. And the Chicago Public Schools, which reopened the same month, has spent just over 6% of almost $1.8 billion.

鈥淲hat opportunities might we be missing for kids to catch up?鈥� asked Jana Wilcox Lavin, CEO of Opportunity 180 in Las Vegas, where the Clark County School District never fully reopened that year. The nonprofit helped gather ideas from the community on how to use the funds, but the district has so far spent less than a quarter of it. Parents, she said, 鈥渃an鈥檛 point to where they see that money showing up in the classroom.鈥�

The dire consequences of school closures were reinforced last week when the National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed sharp declines for 9-year-olds in reading and math since 2020.

From the moment the U.S. Department of Education began distributing $122 billion in relief funds in March 2021, officials emphasized the need to act swiftly to help students make up lost ground.

“It’s hard to argue with the importance of addressing lost instructional time for all students,” Roberto Rodriguez, the department’s assistant secretary for planning, evaluation and policy development, told 蜜桃影视. “We want to see these dollars put to work now.”

But some districts haven鈥檛 spent the first dollar, much less the minimum 20% specifically spelled out for academic recovery.

The sluggish pace has caught the attention of House Republicans, who last month sent Education Secretary Miguel Cardona asking how districts are using the funds to 鈥渞emedy the acute learning losses brought on by prolonged school closures.鈥� Experts expect the tempo to pick up this fall, but education groups are with the department to stretch the to the end of 2026.

The disconnect is frustrating for parents and local politicians seeking evidence the money is being used to boost student performance.

The reopened on time in the fall of 2020. But as in many urban districts, high percentages of Black and Hispanic families So far, the district has spent just 6.8% of its $804 million.

鈥淲e’re going to get to the end of the next two years and nothing is going to look different for the school system,鈥� said Sue Deigaard, a Houston school board member. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not, so far, demonstrating consistency of any result, nor do I even see the dollars being spent in a way that looks particularly strategic and targeted.鈥�

She points to from the 2021-22 school year showing that third graders not only didn鈥檛 reach the district鈥檚 literacy goal, but performance actually dropped between winter and spring.

District leaders insist they鈥檙e not just sitting on their hands. Projects have been bogged down in supply chain delays and staff vacancies have been difficult to fill. Changes in leadership have also taken a toll: Among the 25 largest districts, 16 have lost at least one superintendent during the pandemic.

While superintendent turnover might not change a district鈥檚 spending plan, it can have a 鈥渃ascading impact,鈥� said David Rosenberg, a partner at Education Resource Strategies, which advises districts on budget issues. 

Staff vacancies and burnout can drag down even the 鈥渉ighest-functioning and most stable district teams,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ayer in superintendent turnover and potential turnover at the level below them and the work gets even more complicated.鈥�

Houston, which superintendent Millard House II has led for about a year, is one district experiencing such churn. 

Click here to view full chart.

August Hamilton, special assistant to House, said he鈥檚 grateful for the federal funds. But he doesn鈥檛 hold out much hope students will make rapid gains.

鈥淚 think we have to understand that you have first graders who never went to pre-K, never went to kindergarten 鈥� a first grader who’s now being asked to take a [state] test in 3rd grade,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is going to be the challenge of this work. It鈥檚 a long time to have virtual instruction.鈥�

That鈥檚 one reason, he said, why the district moved $6.1 million in relief funds to aid the academic recovery of its neediest students this year. Officials said they no longer needed that money for masks and other COVID mitigation strategies.

鈥楤ackfilling鈥� budgets

To pinpoint spending patterns, 蜜桃影视 reviewed relief fund data from the and checked it against state figures. Districts provided details on when they fully reopened five days a week in 2020-21 鈥� if they did. And the , led by Brown University economist Emily Oster, offered additional data on the extent to which districts remained open, closed or in hybrid mode.

Districts generally haven鈥檛 made it easy to track how the money is being spent. Some states, like California,  how their districts are spending the 20% targeted specifically for learning loss. But most do not. 

New York state doesn鈥檛 post any information on relief fund spending. The Georgetown lab had to use a public records request to get any data, according to director Marguerite Roza. That showed that New York City, the nation’s largest school system, had spent none of its $4.8 billion. A spokesman for the district, which is tied up in  over its budget, declined to give an actual figure and called it a 鈥渕oving number.鈥� 

The halting pace ignores what researchers say is needed to lift performance in high-poverty districts that spent most of 2020-21 online. The authors of a May said districts need to spend all of their American Rescue Plan funds on extra instruction to help students recover 鈥� not just the 20% the law requires. The longer they wait, the authors wrote, the greater the 鈥渋mplications for future earnings, racial equity and income inequality.鈥�

Districts closed the longest have also seen the most enrollment loss. On average, enrollment in those districts has fallen by 4.4%, according to from the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Because state funding is tied to enrollment, some are now 鈥渂ackfilling鈥� budgets with relief dollars to make up for the losses, said Roza. In fact, she expects spending partly for that reason. 

鈥淚n the ones that were closed longer, it鈥檚 been harder to get kids to come back,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视. She points to districts such as the Seattle Public Schools, which plugged federal funds into its last year, and the , which described its use of relief dollars as an effort to 鈥渆nsure continuity of existing programs and services.鈥� 

In Los Angeles, enrollment fell almost 6% this year and is expected to drop below a year from now. The district waited to dip into its $2.5 billion because it still all it received from the first two rounds of federal aid, said board member Tanya Ortiz-Franklin. 

Statewide, California schools were among the last to bring students back in person. Unlike some governors, California鈥檚 Gavin Newsom didn鈥檛 order schools to reopen. 

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Several districts in the state never resumed in-person instruction that spring, and some have yet to spend any of their funds from the March 2021 bill. They include the Simi Valley Unified School District, where Ron Todo, associate superintendent of business and facilities, said the district is hanging on to its $13.8 million for now. The deadlines to spend the earlier relief funds are more pressing, and the newest grant, he said, has a 鈥渓onger shelf life.鈥� 

Roza has heard such explanations before. But Congress designed the third round of funding to be different from earlier relief bills: It appropriated almost twice as much as the other packages combined and specifically required districts to address learning loss.

Districts 鈥渟hould be well into鈥� spending it by now, she said.

Under the legislation, districts have to obligate the funds by September 2024, and have through March 2026 to spend them. But Roza asked, 鈥淚f the money was intended to get kids back on track, why wait two years?鈥�

Education advocacy groups, like AASA, the School Superintendents Association, want the department to extend that deadline until the end of 2026. 

鈥淚 definitely have concerns about spending it all in time 鈥� not just for the practicality of getting it done,鈥� Ortiz-Franklin said, 鈥渂ut also strategically to best serve our students鈥� short- and long-term academic and social-emotional recovery.鈥�

Extending the timeline has political ramifications, Roza said during a recent .

鈥淭he accusation will be that we didn’t really need it, or at least if you needed it, you’re not even spending it on the kids that were impacted in the pandemic because they got older and they graduated,鈥� she said. 

In Simi Valley, Todo said his district plans to use the funds this school year for additional elementary counselors, social workers and intervention teachers to help students who have fallen behind. But a plan to get math teachers to work an extra class period met with resistance. 

鈥淲e have teachers who have survived the pandemic, and they are too tired to be in the classroom an extra hour,鈥� he said. Despite the exhaustion, Todo added, he sees a benefit to the current spending deadline: 鈥淲hen there is at least a healthy sense of urgency, we push ourselves a little harder.鈥�

A year after the nation鈥檚 schools experienced a historic decline in enrollment, new data shows that many urban districts are still losing students, and those that rebounded this year typically haven鈥檛 returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Whether families withdrew to enroll their children in online charters, school them at home or fled to far-flung suburbs with more affordable housing, the pandemic has triggered population shifts that could change the composition of U.S. school districts for years to come.

Data from Burbio, a company that tracks COVID-related education trends, offers the first look at the degree to which states and districts have recovered from a punishing year of lockdown and remote learning. Out of 40 states and the District of Columbia, few have seen more than a 1% increase compared to 2020-21, when some states experienced declines as high as 5%.

Flat enrollment this year 鈥渕eans those kids did not come back,鈥� said Thomas Dee, an education professor at Stanford University. 鈥淧arents were making these enrollment decisions last summer. There was still a great deal of uncertainty. Parents wanted stability for their kids.鈥�

shows that last year鈥檚 losses were concentrated in the early grades. Those who opted not to enroll their young children in public schools last year, or found an in-person option somewhere else, might never return for middle or high school, Dee said. 

While enrollment in many of the nation鈥檚 urban districts was already shrinking before the pandemic, school closures and economic upheaval forced many families to make decisions they might have put off otherwise.

Barring further pandemic disruptions, student population trends will likely return to their pre-COVID pace, Dee said, but added, 鈥淭he effects of the sharp, recent enrollment declines may be long-lived. The fiscal consequences will remain for some while.鈥�

New York experienced the sharpest decline, a 2% drop 鈥� more than 48,000 students 鈥� since last year. That鈥檚 on top of the previous year鈥檚 3% decline. Enrollment in Florida saw the biggest bounce at 4%, or more than 111,000 additional students 鈥� a reflection of higher birth rates, job growth and fewer COVID restrictions under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, experts say. 

Of the 10 largest districts in the nation, only Florida鈥檚 Orange and Hillsborough counties, home to Orlando and Tampa respectively, saw enrollment surpass pre-pandemic figures.

鈥淔lorida was continuing to grow when other states came to a plateau,鈥� said Susan MacManus, a political scientist from the University of South Florida. 鈥淭hings were open and you could still work.”

State data offers a glimpse of what will likely be further enrollment growth in Arizona, Florida and Utah 鈥� states with more affordable housing, growing tech sectors and outdoor living that became an important draw during COVID. At the same time, fewer people are moving to the Northeast from other states and countries, citing . 

District-level figures 鈥� provided exclusively by Burbio to 蜜桃影视 鈥� offer a richer picture of what happened to students after the pandemic began. The data, combined with state-level reports and interviews with district officials and parents, shows many urban districts lost students to growing exurbs. And some districts with no population growth added thousands of students in virtual schools.

Districts with enrollment loss could face tough decisions about layoffs and school closures in the near future. Meanwhile, smaller districts that are rapidly gaining students are struggling to hire staff and preserve the kind of close-knit environment that drew many parents in the first place.

鈥淭he pandemic kind of accelerated some of those pre-existing trends,鈥� said Alex Spurrier, an associate partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a think tank. While school closures forced many parents to look for other options, housing and rental prices were also pushing families out of major metro regions. 鈥淎ll you have to do is go to Zillow and see the year-over-year changes,鈥� he said.

In December 2019, Tanner and Miranda McCutchan relocated from northern California to Boise, Idaho 鈥� one of 10 metro areas that saw the most growth between 2020 and 2021, according to recent . That leaves two fewer children who will enter California鈥檚 schools in the coming years. Miranda stays home with 4-year-old Paige, who attends a Montessori preschool, and 18-month-old Emery, while her husband runs a glass company. 

鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 afford a house where we lived,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was keep renting or move somewhere we could buy a place.鈥�

The fiscal cliff & 鈥楢rmageddon鈥�

In California, Burbio collected data only from Los Angeles, Oakland and San Diego. All three saw declines, due in part to California鈥檚 high-priced . With the state鈥檚 school-age population expected to keep over the next decade, district leaders are bracing for a to their budgets.

The Oakland Unified Public Schools offers a preview of what other districts with declining enrollment and birth rates will soon confront 鈥� the painful and unpopular decision to close schools. In February, the district, which saw a 5.6% enrollment decline compared to last year, decided it would over the next two years. Four others will merge or reduce grade levels.

In the Granite School District, near Salt Lake City, enrollment fell 2.4%, down to 60,371 this year, even though the state鈥檚 overall enrollment is up. 

The district has seen a decline in birth rates and an increase in families fleeing to 鈥渃heaper areas to build larger homes within [Salt Lake County],鈥� said Benjamin Horsley, chief of staff for the district, adding officials anticipate 鈥渓eveling out around 55,000 students.鈥� The district has already closed three schools and expects to shutter 10 to 14 more in the next five to seven years. 

Districts experiencing similar losses should have been making those tough calls before the pandemic, said Marguerite Roza, director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University.

鈥淔ederal [relief] money is delaying it a year or two, and the fact that state budgets are healthy is delaying it a year or two,鈥� she said about closing schools. Roza advises a network of over 40 urban districts nationwide, the majority of which are shrinking. 鈥淔ederal money will run out, and enrollment for some of them isn’t isn’t going to come back. These cost factors are going to just slam down on people.鈥�

Los Angeles Unified, for example, saw a 5.9% decline this year and is expected to by fall of 2023. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Monday that he鈥檚 not yet considering closing schools, but added that at the end of his first 100 days 鈥� in about two more months 鈥� he will discuss 鈥渢echnical corrections鈥� and 鈥渂elt tightening鈥� measures to respond to the loss of students. 

He agrees with Roza about the dangers of the approaching fiscal cliff, and didn鈥檛 mince words about what would happen to the district if it didn鈥檛 turn enrollment trends around by the time federal relief funds dry up in 2024. 鈥淎rmageddon,鈥� he said. Then he added, 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a hurricane of massive proportions.鈥� 

The student population in the Clark County School District, which includes Las Vegas, began dropping about five years ago. Superintendent Jesus Jara attributes much of the decline to the growth of charter schools. 

鈥淭he anti-charter discussion 鈥� that was in the 鈥�90s. They鈥檙e not going away,鈥� Jara said. 鈥淭he discussion is how are we more flexible and how we are more agile for our communities.鈥� 

Despite declining enrollment, the district needs to build and renovate 33 schools to better serve its current population, he said. That includes breaking up some large, 4,000-student high schools to offer more 鈥渂outique鈥� and career-focused programs to compete with charters.

鈥楬as not slowed down鈥�

Districts with falling enrollment are strategizing how to keep the students they have. But accelerated growth comes with its own challenges, Roza said, putting pressure on leaders to act fast, especially if they need to recruit staff amid a nationwide hiring shortage. Schools might be 鈥渄igging deeper and deeper into applicant pools鈥� and not necessarily choosing the best candidates, she said. 

Liberty Hill Independent School District, northwest of Austin, Texas, didn鈥檛 lose students during the pandemic. Enrollment, at 5,539 last year, is now over 6,800 鈥� a 23% percent leap. It鈥檚 a bedroom community that just got its first H-E-B, a 鈥渂ig box鈥� grocery store, and is conveniently located near a toll road with easy access to Apple鈥檚 new complex near Austin. 

During the pandemic, the community 鈥渁ctually saw a 40 percent rise in residential home builds, and it has not slowed down,鈥� said Superintendent Steven Snell. The district has eight schools now and will open a ninth next year. 

Parents value the district鈥檚 small-town atmosphere and the sense that educators know their families well, he said 鈥� connections that could be hard to maintain as the district adds 1,000 students a year. Meanwhile, the district has raised salaries for substitutes because of shortages, and there鈥檚 a scarcity of available bus drivers, custodians and cafeteria workers.

鈥淲hen you have a salary that is causing you to live paycheck to paycheck, you鈥檙e going to jump ship for a little more money to survive,鈥� Snell said.

Many of the enrollment swings this year reflect the success of online programs in meeting the needs of families for consistency amid the pandemic鈥檚 many disruptions.

For some virtual charters, the enrollment spike was temporary. Oklahoma鈥檚 Epic One on One, an online program, had 17,106 students in 2019-20. Enrollment roughly doubled last year and is now down to 23,156, according to state data.  

鈥淢any parents decided to enroll their student in Epic once the pandemic hit, but it appears that trend has slowed with this year’s enrollment numbers,鈥� said Carrie Burkhart, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Education.

But whether parents are concerned about COVID or found that online school better suits their children, virtual programs remain in high demand. 

South Carolina鈥檚 enrollment has increased almost 2%, due in part to 鈥渟kyrocketing enrollment in virtual charters,鈥� said Ryan Brown, spokesman for the state鈥檚 education department.

The student population in the Huntsville Independent School District, about an hour north of Houston, shot up 40% this year because it operates the Texas Online Preparatory School. And in Colorado, Harrison School District 2, near Colorado Springs, began a partnership with The Vanguard School, a virtual program and one of three charter systems affiliated with the district.

鈥淢any might see it as a public school district versus charter battle,鈥� said Harrison Superintendent Wendy Birhanzel. 鈥淲e believe this makes us stronger and responds to the needs of the community.鈥�

Homeschooling trends

While Burbio data offers an incomplete picture of where lost students have gone, others have been trying to fill in the missing pieces. The Census Bureau鈥檚 Household Pulse Survey showed that homeschooling jumped from about 5% of households to the fall after the pandemic began. By the start of this school year, it had settled back down to about 7%, according to August 2021 data.

Others have left for more established private schools. Michelle Walker, an Oregon mother who became an advocate for school reopening last year, withdrew her daughter from the Canby Public Schools, near Portland. She secured a spot 鈥� and financial aid 鈥� at a private school for fourth-grader MacKenzie. She also took out a loan and received money from family to help cover tuition.

鈥淚 drive 80 miles roundtrip every day to make sure she goes to a good school,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t would take a lot for me to put her back in public schools.鈥�

shows many other parents are following suit. According to Burbio, most districts in Multnomah County, which includes Portland, and nearby Clackamas County have seen enrollment declines this year. 

Some district leaders are still hoping to lure back students they鈥檝e lost. The Bernalillo Public Schools, north of Albuquerque, serves families in Pueblo and Hispanic communities, including many in multi-family households concerned about COVID risk. 

The district was the last in the state to lift its mask mandate. Superintendent Matt Monta帽o said he鈥檚 encouraged that enrollment, while still below pre-pandemic figures, has picked up slightly since last year. 

The district鈥檚 pre-K program, with 190 students at three schools, earned a five-star rating from the state education department 鈥� an accomplishment Monta帽o hopes will help recruit new students.

鈥淥nce we get them in our doors,鈥� he said, 鈥渢here’s no reason why they should leave us.鈥�

Children with special needs are among those whose learning has suffered the most because of the pandemic. But that鈥檚 not what Juliana Urtubey sees when she looks at her students at Booker Elementary in Las Vegas.

鈥淥ur brains work in slightly different ways. Our job is to find all of our students鈥� strengths,鈥� she said about special education teachers. That perspective, she said, has given her an advantage over the past year. 鈥淚 was mining for students鈥� strengths.鈥�

On Thursday, the Council of Chief State School Officers named Urtubey the 2021 National Teacher of the Year. Surprised with flowers from First lady Jill Biden, Urtubey is the third special educator to receive the honor. Advocates said having a special education teacher as spokeswoman for the field over the next year could help as they push for an increase in federal funding for children with disabilities. But Urtubey said her focus will be much broader. Her message is that all students deserve a 鈥渏oyous and just鈥� education in schools where they feel a 鈥渄eep sense of belonging.鈥�

That starts, she said, by incorporating children鈥檚 culture into classroom lessons and their experiences at school.

鈥淭o me, as a Latina, our public institutions can鈥檛 separate our students from their families,鈥� said Urtubey, who moved with her parents to the U.S. from Colombia and was trained as a bilingual teacher in Arizona when the state passed a law requiring English-only instruction. 鈥淚 think about the tremendous loss of language and culture in this country.鈥�

At Crestwood Elementary, where she worked before Booker, she helped that became an outdoor classroom for the school and another way to make immigrant families feel welcome.

Ciara Byrne, founder and CEO of Green Our Planet 鈥� which works with schools to teach science, technology, engineering and math through school gardening 鈥� remembers how plain and uninviting Crestwood looked in 2014 when she first talked with Urtubey about being part of the program.

鈥淪he was just full of beans and talking about how she was going to transform it,鈥� Byrne said. 鈥淲ithin three years, there were murals all over the place.鈥�

Many were painted by mothers of the 鈥済nomies,鈥� a student garden club that meets on Friday mornings. In fact, when Byrne wants to show the nonprofit鈥檚 work off to potential sponsors, she takes them to Crestwood, which not only has several planter beds, but also butterfly, bee and pollinator gardens.

Jose Silva was assistant principal at Crestwood at the time. He took notice of Urtubey鈥檚 鈥渃aring approach鈥� and her expertise in working with special needs students. Now he鈥檚 principal at Booker, where he said her dedication to the school extends to her colleagues.

With the title of learning strategist, Urtubey coaches other classroom teachers on providing instruction for students with special needs and has served as a mentor to new teachers. But even veteran educators said they benefit from working with her.

Rosie Perez, another special educator at Booker, called Urtubey when she was working on a certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. They had never met before, but Perez said she 鈥渋nstantly noticed her amiable and warm-hearted personality.鈥�

鈥淚 am in the 19th year of my teaching career and am still eager to learn,鈥� Perez said, adding that she 鈥渃ould not think of anyone better to begin this step in my career, to learn and grow along with, but Juliana.鈥�

鈥楾hrough a lot of loss鈥�

Urtubey鈥檚 positive outlook doesn鈥檛 mean the past year hasn鈥檛 been traumatic 鈥� for families and teachers. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been through a lot of loss,鈥� she told CBS This Morning host Gayle King, after she learned she was the winner.

In an interview with 蜜桃影视, she noted the past year has probably been the most difficult in her teaching career 鈥� a sentiment shared by those in the special education field nationally. An American Institutes for Research released last fall showed that 58 percent of districts have found it challenging to comply with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act during the pandemic. And almost three-quarters said it was 鈥渕ore or substantially more difficult鈥� to accommodate students鈥� individual learning needs.

Urtubey, Nevada鈥檚 first recipient of the national award, said her emphasis on students鈥� social and emotional connections made the loss of in-person learning less disruptive. 鈥淥ur classroom community just translated over鈥� to a remote format, she said. She worked with school nutrition staff to make sure meal distribution worked for families鈥� schedules and tracked down students who moved during remote learning.

Her 鈥渞esilience is indicative of how hard special education teachers have worked this year,鈥� said Dennis Cavitt, president of Council for Exceptional Children, a membership and advocacy organization. But he added that her recognition also comes as advocates are pushing for funding to address shortages of special education teachers and a lack of diversity in the workforce. President Joe Biden has asked for a $2.6 billion increase for special education.

鈥淗aving Juliana in the spotlight this year will help carry that message forward and energize the entire education community around those goals,鈥� Cavitt said.

Urtubey said she doesn鈥檛 know if she鈥檒l return to Booker after her year on a national stage. But she鈥檚 working with Silva and Green Our Planet to create another community garden 鈥� what she described as a 鈥�10,000-square-foot outdoor oasis鈥� 鈥� and leave a lasting mark on the school.

鈥淚鈥檓 definitely going to stay connected to my Booker family,鈥� she said.