Influx of migrant students a ‘godsend’ to NYC public schools, chancellor claims

As New York City officials warn of the migrant crisis overwhelming public services, NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks welcomes the increased student enrollment. 

“For some of the schools,…

As New York City officials warn of the migrant crisis overwhelming public services, NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks welcomes the increased student enrollment. 

“For some of the schools, the migrants coming here has been a godsend because we’ve lost so many other kids,” Banks said in a recent interview. “Some schools were being threatened with whether we’re going to be able to keep the doors open.” 

An estimated 20,000 new migrant students have been enrolled in the city’s public schools, according to a May report by the Center for New York City Affairs. 

Despite the influx of migrants, the overall number of students in the city’s public education system has fallen since the COVID-19 pandemic. Enrollment dropped by 2% from 2021-22 to 2022-23, and 6% from 2020-21 to 2021-22. 

Meanwhile, nearly $550 million will be cut from the NYC Department of Education’s annual budget as part of “alleviating fiscal hardships caused in part by the migrant crisis,” writes Kristina Watrobski for KOMO News. 

The city’s mayor, Eric Adams, has called for drastic action to alleviate a $12 billion deficit as the city struggles to accommodate the estimated 10,000 migrants coming in each month. 

“This issue will destroy New York City,” he said in a town hall meeting last year. “The city we knew, we’re about to lose.” 

Failing student outcomes  

The city’s public schools have also drawn scrutiny for dismal student performance, despite massive amounts of taxpayer funding. 

A New York Post analysis found “dozens” of school districts spending up to three times the city’s average of $21,112 per student in fiscal year 2023-24 – up to $63,000 per student. However, many of these children score significantly below the citywide average in math and reading proficiency. 

“It’s really scary that students are performing so poorly with all that money being spent,” said a city Department of Education administrator, according to the Post. “I’m shocked that district superintendents haven’t stepped in to question what’s going on.” 

Some watchdog groups blame the city’s policy to “hold harmless” schools experiencing enrollment declines, which allows them to receive the same amount of annual funding even with fewer students. 

“When you choose to hold schools harmless, especially when decreases in enrollment vary so dramatically, you create more inequity,” said Ana Champeny, vice president for research of the Citizens Budget Commission group. “Now schools that are losing enrollment are going to have significantly more resources per student.” 

Homeschooling numbers surging in NYC & statewide 

At the same time, New York is experiencing the nation’s second-highest rate of growth in homeschooling – as high as 324% in NYC’s Brooklyn and the Bronx boroughs. 

Many of these homeschoolers say dissatisfaction with public schools influenced their decision. 

“I attended public schools all the way through,” a homeschool mom told the Empire Center for Public Policy. “Our plan all along was to send our four kids to public school. Yet when it came time to send our eldest, I was dismayed by what I observed during the tour.” 

Parents and lawmakers also expressed anger over the decision to temporarily close James Madison High School in Brooklyn in January. The city has used it as an “overnight respite center” for migrants while holding classes remotely for its usual students. 

However, Banks sees no problem with city schools accommodating migrants over residents. 

“I push back on a lot of the kind of negative politics that people talk about with migrants,” he said. “This is a city of immigrants. I mean, that’s the uniqueness of New York.”