Wednesday, November 12, 2008

ESL Programs Worry about Funding, as Demand for Classes Rises



By Stephanie Rubenstein

CHINATOWN — As the flow of immigrants into Boston increases each year, the English-language programs so essential to helping them get acclimated to their new lives lack the necessary funding to smooth this transition, advocates said.

With worries of the continuation of project funding, due to the economic crisis and recent $1 billion state budget cuts, many organizations said they do not know what the future hold for their language classes.

“Because of the economic downturn, I don’t think anybody knows about the future,” said Cheri Leung, co-director of Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center. “We want funding to increase, but it’s not really up to us.”

English for New Bostonians, a program developed by the Office of New Bostonians in 2001, provides funds for two of the center’s introductory classes. All of the other classes are funded by the state.

“English as a Second Language classes survived this round of [budget] cuts, but we expect cutting in the future, and we may not be as lucky,” said Fred Bennett, who co-directs the neighborhood center with Leung.

Introductory classes are the most popular, and the center has a waiting list of 280 people. More than 3,500 people in Boston are waiting to enter into ESL classes, according to the Office of New Bostonians website.

‘There’s always a demand for English classes,” said Kerline Tofuri, project manager for English for New Bostonians. “We have about 24 funded programs around Boston and there are still people looking for classes.”

The office is always looking for funding options, but she said there is not enough money to support all of the different program and levels offered.

With the launch of the program’s third phase on Nov. 13, Tofuri said she hopes to continue sustaining and inviting new programs to apply for grants, allowing them to continue providing classes.

“I hope to meet the goals we have set for ourselves and to continue supporting the programs the way we would love to support them,” she said. “Not only by providing financial support, but also through organizational development training.”

The Asian American Civic Association in Chinatown offers upper-level English classes, which are not easily found elsewhere, said Richard Goldberg, the association’s educational director.

“We did some work in the neighborhood and found there was a gap in services,” he said. “We thought we could fill a good need [by offering the more advanced classes].”

The English classes are geared for different people, but more students are coming in at younger ages and earlier in their arrival to the country, he said.

“The purpose [of the programs] is for students to improve and be able to function and find a job,” said Elenda Kuyun, an ESL instructor for the association. “The [students] are learning and the majority of [them] come here from word of mouth.”

Most of the students are from the Chinatown community or the greater Chinese community in Boston, Goldberg said. However, at the organization’s night classes, he said there is a greater diversity of people coming from Hispanic, Haitian, African and Central Asian backgrounds.

“The demand [for classes] hasn’t let up,” Goldberg said. “I’ve been here 15 years and immigrants keep on coming.”