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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced the Ensuring Linguistic Excellence and Vocational Aptitude by Teaching English (ELEVATE) Act, a bicameral and bipartisan bill that would ensure states receive the federal funding necessary to provide high-quality instruction to students learning English. Specifically, this legislation would correct a flawed funding formula used by the U.S. Department of Education to allocate funds to states by fully capturing the number of K-12 students who relocate to the mainland from Puerto Rico. This bill would allow Puerto Rican students to be fully counted in the annual grant allocation received by states under the English Language Acquisition grant program. Correcting this flaw will be especially helpful to states like Florida and Connecticut, which have large and thriving Puerto Rican populations.
Between 2010 and 2017, Florida’s Puerto Rican population rose from 864,000 to 1.1 million—a 27 percent increase. Connecticut’s Puerto Rican population increased from 264,000 to 292,000—an 11 percent jump.
U.S. Representatives Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) and Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) reintroduced companion legislation in the House.
“By correcting this existing flaw, we are ensuring the U.S. Department of Education fully captures the number of K-12 students who relocate to a mainland state from Puerto Rico,” Rubio said. “I am proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill, which will allow Puerto Rican students to be fully counted in the annual grant allocation that states receive under the English Language Acquisition grant program and increase funding for Florida.”
“Congress’s failure to completely count newly arrived families from Puerto Rico in our funding formulas is unfair and ends up hurting students learning English in states like Connecticut,” Murphy said. “The ELEVATE Act is an opportunity to right this wrong and make sure that English Language Learning programs are fully funded. As the son of a former English Language Learning teacher, I know how critical these programs are to student success, and I’m glad to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure all students have access to the high quality education they deserve.”
“I will always do everything I can to support Puerto Rican families and make sure all students have the resources they need,” Scott said.
“I’m proud to support the ELEVATE Act which ensures our schools have the federal resources needed to help English-learning students succeed and live their dreams.”
“This common-sense bill would fix the flaw that vastly undercounts newly arriving Puerto Rican students and cuts off vital language-learning resources,” Blumenthal said. “School language programs for K-12 students learning English are indispensable, setting them up for life-long success and opening new opportunities. I’m proud to cosponsor this bipartisan bill to get schools in Connecticut and across the country the funding they need to support kids learning English.”
“As it is for so many Floridians, English is my second language. I grew up in a Vietnamese-speaking household and I was fortunate to learn English at school,” Murphy said. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will ensure Florida schools have the resources they need to help English-learners excel in the classroom and be better equipped to succeed in this country.”
“I am proud to join my colleagues in reintroducing the ELEVATE Act,” Congressman Díaz-Balart said. “This legislation revises the Department of Education’s grant formula to ensure schools receive the necessary resources to provide high-quality English education to students who relocate from Puerto Rico, and whose primary language is Spanish. The ELEVATE Act is crucial for communities like Miami-Dade County, which receives the highest amount of English Language Acquisition funding in Florida. I thank Rep. Murphy and Senators Rubio, Murphy, and Blumenthal for their leadership on this important issue, and I look forward to enacting this permanent solution for the betterment of our students.”
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Washington, D.C. — Los senadores estadounidenses Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Rick Scott (R-FL) y Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintrodujeron la ley ELEVATE, un proyecto bipartidista y bicameral que garantizará que los estados reciban los fondos federales necesarios para proporcionar instrucción de alta calidad a los estudiantes que están aprendiendo inglés. Específicamente, esta legislación corregirá una fórmula de financiamiento defectuosa que el Departamento de Educación utiliza para asignar fondos a los estados al capturar por completo el número de estudiantes de K-12 que se reubican al continente americano desde Puerto Rico. Este proyecto de ley permitiría que los estudiantes puertorriqueños sean contados en la asignación anual que los estados reciben bajo el programa de inglés. El corregir esta falla será especialmente útil para estados como la Florida y Connecticut, que tienen una gran población de puertorriqueños.
Entre el 2010 y el 2017, la población puertorriqueña en la Florida aumentó de 864,000 a 1.1 millones, un aumento del 27 por ciento. Igualmente, la población puertorriqueña en Connecticut aumentó de 264,000 a 292,000, un aumento del 11 por ciento.
Los representantes estadounidenses Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) y Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) volvieron a presentar una legislación complementaria en la Cámara.
“Al corregir esta falla existente, nos aseguramos que el Departamento de Educación de EE.UU. calcule la cantidad completa de estudiantes en los grados K-12 que se trasladan a un estado en el continente norteamericano desde Puerto Rico”, Rubio dijo. “Me enorgullece volver a presentar este proyecto de ley bipartidista, que permitirá que los estudiantes puertorriqueños sean contados en su totalidad en la asignación de subsidios anuales que los estados reciben bajo el programa de subvenciones y el cual aumentará los fondos para Florida”.
“Siempre haré todo lo posible para apoyar a las familias puertorriqueñas y asegurarme de que todos los estudiantes tengan los recursos que necesitan”, Scott dijo. “Me enorgullece apoyar la Ley ELEVATE, que garantiza que nuestras escuelas tengan los recursos federales necesarios para ayudar a los estudiantes que aprenden inglés a tener éxito y vivir sus sueños”.
“Este proyecto de ley podría remediar la falla del sistema de subestimar a los estudiantes puertorriqueños recién llegados, que no tienen acceso a recursos de aprendizaje del idioma”, Blumenthal dijo. “Los programas para que los estudiantes de kindergarten a secundaria aprendan inglés son indispensables, preparándolos para nuevas oportunidades y el éxito de por vida. Estoy orgulloso de co- patrocinar este proyecto de ley bipartidista, para darle a las escuelas de Connecticut y de toda la nación, el financiamiento que necesitan para apoyar a nuestros niños que necesiten aprender inglés”.
“Como lo es para muchos floridanos, el inglés es mi segundo idioma. Crecí en un hogar donde solo hablábamos vietnamita y tuve la suerte de aprender inglés en la escuela”, Murphy dijo. “Me enorgullece presentar esta legislación bipartidista que garantizará que las escuelas en la Florida tengan los recursos que necesitan para ayudar a los estudiantes aprendiendo inglés a sobresalir en el salón de clases y estar mejor equipados para tener éxito en este país”.
“Estoy orgulloso de unirme a mis colegas en la reintroducción de la ley ELEVATE”, el congresista Díaz-Balart dijo. “Esta legislación corrige la fórmula de subvenciones del Departamento de Educación para garantizar que las escuelas reciban los recursos necesarios para proporcionar educación en inglés de alta calidad a los estudiantes que se trasladan desde Puerto Rico y cuyo idioma principal es el español. La ley ELEVATE es crucial para comunidades como el condado de Miami-Dade, que recibe más fondos para el acceso al idioma inglés que cualquier otro condado en la Florida. Agradezco a la congresista Murphy y a los senadores Rubio, Murphy y Blumenthal por su liderazgo en este importante tema, y espero promulgar esta solución permanente para el mejoramiento de nuestros estudiantes”.
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