# data[].attributes.headline
                     Jefferson Parish Schools Demographics

# data[].attributes.subject
                     Jefferson Parish Schools Demographics

# data[].attributes.body
In the 2013-2014 there was increase of students with limited English proficiency. This  lead to problems in the Jefferson Parish School District. Jefferson parish experienced a lack of funding and resources to accommodate these students.

Jefferson Parish currently has 49,491 students enrolled.

The percent of students with limited English proficiency is 13.53%

This is an increase from previous years. State data show that 12 percent of Jefferson public school students, about 5,630 children, were not fluent in English in the 2014-2015 school year (Dreilinger; 2015) This is an increase of 1.53%. According to Ms. Karina Castillo, Executive Director of English Language Learners, the number of ESL students has been a steady 7,500 for the last two years.

In 2014, Jefferson the highest proportion of students with limited English-proficiency among all Louisiana school systems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Unless otherwise specified, figures are for the 2017-18 school year. Data was last updated in June 2018 and represents a snapshot of the district at that point in time.
Our Schools

Total number of schools: 85

Elementary Schools (PK-5): 48

Middle Schools (6-8): 13

High Schools (9-12): 10

Other (PK-7, PK-8, 6-12, K-12, etc...): 14

Our Students

Total number of students served: 49,491

Percent of students with limited English proficiency: 13.53%

Percent of special education students: 17.99%

* Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

Our Employees

Full-time employees: 6203

Specialist Employees: 387

School Administrators: 218

Certified Teachers: 3181

Classified Employees: 2417

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Facts & Figures - Jefferson Parish Public School System

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Unless otherwise specified, figures are for the 2017-18 school year. Data was last updated in June 2018 and represents a snapshot of the district at that point in time.

# data[].attributes.headline
           Current Data of ESL Learners in Jefferson Parish

# data[].attributes.subject
           Current Data of ESL Learners in Jefferson Parish

# data[].attributes.headline
                Spike in Hispanic Immigrants After Hurricane Katrina

# data[].attributes.subject
                Spike in Hispanic Immigrants After Hurricane Katrina

# data[].attributes.body
There are many reasons for the increase of ESL students in the Jefferson School District. According to Martin Gutierrez, vice president of community services for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, "numbers (Hispanic population) in Jefferson Parish began to grow more rapidly as immigrants came for rebuilding jobs after Katrina " As seen in the chart below, the number of the Hispanic population has nearly doubled in 13 years.

This has put a strain of the Jefferson Parish Public Schools. "In 2015, they enrolled 6,295 students in English language learner programs -- geared toward students with limited English-speaking ability. That's a 40-percent increase from 2008 enrollment, said Karina Castillo, who was appointed to head up the ELL program last year (Grimm; 2015).

# data[].attributes.headline
                  Spike in Central American Immigrants 

# data[].attributes.subject
                  Spike in Central American Immigrants 

# data[].attributes.body
According to an article written by Jessica Williams and Julia Kumari Drapkin  in The Times-Picayune ,"More recently, gang violence and the impact of a coffee fungus  in Central America encouraged new immigrants to seek out long-lost New Orleans relatives" (2016).

In August 2014, "Close to 730 public school students enrolling this summer listed a Central American country as their place of origin" (Drapkin & Williams; 2014).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's the first day of school at Terrytown Elementary, and third-grader Kensey Arevalo is completing her "All About Me" introductory assignment after a short talk with two classmates. Much of the students' conversation is in Spanish.

What her new teacher doesn't yet know, is that this is the only language Kensey speaks.

Kensey is not alone. Nearly 500 children who recently entered the country have enrolled in Jefferson public schools since January, according to system officials. Many came from Central American countries, escaping violence, unemployment or both. They are the latest arrivals in a years-long trend of rising Hispanic enrollment that has given Jefferson the highest proportion of students with limited English-proficiency among all Louisiana school systems.

Jessica Williams

- and -

Julia Kumari Drapkin
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

That presents challenges for the system that are likely to grow, as the immigration tide shows no signs of abating in the near future. It's also having an effect in other systems across the region, especially in New Orleans. (For more about New Orleans, read here.)

Most of the new Hispanic children enrolled in Jefferson schools this year are from Honduras and other Central American countries. Many are among 1,275 undocumented children who came into the country recently and were placed with relatives or family friends in New Orleans while they wade through immigration court.

Overall enrollment data shows their impact across Jefferson's system:

Close to 730 public school students enrolling this summer listed a Central American country as their place of origin, though not all of those children are newly arrived immigrants, officials said.

For the first time, Jefferson officials kept their English proficiency testing centers open all summer, to handle the high influx of immigrant students needing that service. More than 1,200 students have been tested, and 71 percent of them qualified for English-language learners' services.

10 percent of Jefferson's student body as of Feb. 1 were children with limited English proficiency, the highest concentration of any public-school system in the state. Additional immigrant students enrolled in recent months could raise that percentage once official figures for this school year are tallied.

Superintendent James Meza has called the influx of Hispanic students a "major, major shift" from what the system saw before Hurricane Katrina.

When it comes to English language learners, "We're growing exponentially," he said.
Parish changes over the years
New Orleans and some parts of the metro area have had a relatively significant Hispanic population for decades, mostly from Honduras, said Martin Gutierrez, vice president of community services for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans. But their numbers in Jefferson Parish began to grow more rapidly as immigrants like Kensey's father, Jorge Arevalo, came for rebuilding jobs after Katrina.

More recently, gang violence and the impact of a coffee fungus in Central America encouraged new immigrants to seek out long-lost New Orleans relatives. Children may be unaccompanied, but they may also travel with a parent -- most likely, their mother. "We are not seeing kids showing up in our area without a place to stay," Gutierrez said. "We are seeing them reunited with their family here."

Their presence soon began changing public schools, as Jefferson's Hispanic population climbed. In 1980, Jefferson had almost 22,000 Hispanic residents, according to the Data Center, a New Orleans demography think-tank. Now, with nearly 54,000 Hispanic residents, Jefferson has the largest Hispanic population in the metro area.

Here's how that population breaks down:
Source: Data Center analysis, U.S. Census Bureau
Many of these "other" Hispanics may well be Honduran, Data Center researchers note.

As the Hispanic population grows, so does Hispanic enrollment in schools. Nearly 21 percent of the system's students are Hispanic, up from almost 19 percent a year ago and only 9 percent in the 2004-05 school year before Katrina.
How Jefferson school officials are dealing
When non-English speaking students arrive at schools, they must be tested for English proficiency. There's been a significant increase in the number of students tested this year compared to 2013, said Karina Castillo, who oversees the system's English Language Learners office.

"We are seeing a large number of immigrants from Honduras," she said.

The jump in immigrant students comes as Jefferson has been under fire in recent years for its treatment of Spanish-speaking students. Nearly 30 Jefferson public schools were mentioned in two complaints filed in 2012 and 2013 by the Southern Poverty Law Center alleging discrimination and inadequate services for English-language learners. The complaints sparked a federal probe, and federal and system officials announced an agreement in July that ended that investigation.

The agreement requires Jefferson to change some practices so students are not discouraged to enroll because of citizenship or immigration status, and to take other measures to monitor and prevent bullying of immigrant students, among other changes.

Terrytown Elementary, where Kensey attends school, was mentioned in one of the complaints. A parent said the school didn't have enough translators at key meetings, according to the law center.

Principal Christopher Joyce said that hiring more bilingual employees has been one of his priorities. "For the last two years, when I've done any hiring, I've tried to get as many bilingual people as possible," he said.

The school has at least two certified English as a Second Language teachers in each grade level, and more have been approved, he said. The school also has a bilingual parent advisor and bilingual administrator.

But as demand for bilingual teachers rises in Louisiana and across the country, it's getting harder to find them. That's one reason why Jefferson may be considering cash incentives for new bilingual teachers. At the School Board's August meeting, board member Etta Liccardi proposed giving these teachers an additional $4,000 stipend upon employment. The board is expected to consider the move at a future meeting.

As for Kensey or any other immigrant children enrolling this year, Joyce says the school doesn't single any child out, but immediately steps in with English as a Second Language testing and placement if a family indicates that a student's home language is not English, or if the teacher notices a need for it.

"We're treating them from the beginning as if they are any other Hispanic family," Joyce said of recent immigrants.

Back in class, Kensey lingered after her teacher Pete Dollas dismissed her peers. Dollas saw Kensey had filled out her worksheet in perfect Spanish:

Her favorite color is "verde" (green); her favorite food is "huevo" (egg); and when she grows up she wants to be "licenciada" -- educated with a university degree.

College is a long way away, however. For now, the school's priority will be ensuring that Kensey learns English and adjusts to her new surroundings as quickly as possible.

"We can help all of our students adjust to Terrytown Elementary and be able to be successful here," Joyce said.
Search Hispanic and Limited English proficiency enrollment at each Jefferson and Orleans school:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Spike in Central American immigrant students posing challenges in Jefferson Parish

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's the first day of school at Terrytown Elementary, and third-grader Kensey Arevalo is completing her "All About Me" introductory assignment after a short talk with two classmates. Much of the students' conversation is in Spanish. What her new teacher doesn't yet know, is that this is the only language Kensey speaks.

# data[].attributes.headline
              Problems with the Increase in ESL learners

# data[].attributes.subject
              Problems with the Increase in ESL learners

# data[].attributes.body
Gerardo Lopez, previously a professor of political science at Loyola University, was quoted in a The Times-Picayune article in 2015 ,"The current number of teachers on the books is insufficient to staff these classes," The article goes on to say ,"He counted 81 second-language teachers, 41 additional teachers designated to work with those students and 59 aides" (Dreilinger; 2015).

Former Jefferson Parish public schools Superintendent James Meza Jr. wrote in a 2015 New York Times article that "schools need more federal money to educate the thousands of undocumented immigrant children who entered the United States in 2014 (Williams; 2015).

Many schools need extra classrooms, counselors, and teachers to accommodate these learners. Unfortunately, the state's limited budget can not provide the necessary money needed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Schools need more federal money to educate the thousands of undocumented immigrant children who entered the United States in 2014, former Jefferson Parish public schools Superintendent James Meza Jr. wrote in The New York Times Thursday (Sept. 3). Meza, who retired in January, recounted last year's Central American immigrant student influx in Jefferson.

Immigrant children need extra classrooms, counselors and teachers, Meza wrote. All too often, they are academically behind their native peers.

"Much of the money (and resources for specialized personnel) that school districts like Jefferson Parish need cannot come from the limited resources at the local level or from the state, which faces its own budget shortfalls," Meza wrote. He added that immigration should not be blocked, recalling his own father's emigration from Honduras in 1918.

Meza led Jefferson schools from 2011 to early January. He has been credited for the school system's jump from a D to B on the Louisiana letter grade scale, although that progress was aided by a shift in state metrics. Jefferson has the highest percentage of English language learners among Louisiana's conventional systems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Immigrant students need more federal aid, James Meza writes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Schools need more federal money to educate the thousands of undocumented immigrant children who entered the United States in 2014, former Jefferson Parish public schools Superintendent James Meza Jr. wrote in The New York Times Thursday (Sept. 3). Meza, who retired in January, recounted last year's Central American immigrant student influx in Jefferson.

# data[].attributes.headline
How Much Are Illegal Minors Costing Jefferson Parish's School                                   District?

# data[].attributes.subject
How Much Are Illegal Minors Costing Jefferson Parish's School                                   District?

# data[].attributes.body
The increase of immigrants results in more money needed by schools.

It was estimated that the Jefferson Parish School district paid 4.6 million in 2014 to accommodate its increase in ESL learners.

27 new ESL teachers were hired

20 new "ESL para-educators

19 regular education teachers

3 special education teachers

The state did not receive any additional funding or money to deal with the increase.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The influx of unaccompanied alien children will cost one school district in Louisiana $4.6 million alone this year, as local school budgets across the country are bearing the brunt of the thousands of illegal immigrant minors who crossed the border this summer.

According to the Louisiana department of education's response to an inquiry by Sen. David Vitter (R., La.), the Jefferson Parish School System will be forced to hire dozens more teachers to teach English to the more than 500 illegal alien children who have been relocated there.

"It's a very significant cost to the Louisiana taxpayer, and that's just education," Vitter told the Washington Free Beacon on Thursday. "We have plenty of other categories that are impacted, like health care, emergency room and other health care, and other benefits. That's just public education."

John White, the state superintendent of education for Louisiana, responded to Vitter's request, detailing the costs associated with educating unaccompanied alien children.

The letter explains that Jefferson Parish, located in Harvey, La., just outside of New Orleans, will need an additional $4.6 million to educate 533 unaccompanied alien children. It costs the state an average of $8,854 per student, each year. In the Jefferson Parish, it will cost an average of $9,047 per student for the 2014-2015 school year.

The parish will have to hire 27 new English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, 20 new "ESL para-educators," 19 regular education teachers, and three special education teachers in order to meet the demands associated with the new students.

The state will not receive any additional funding from the federal government to deal with the increase, White said.

Louisiana is among the 10 states that have received the most unaccompanied alien children, according to data compiled by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The state will pay $25.8 million to educate 1,250 illegal alien children this school year.

Unaccompanied alien children have been relocated to every state in the nation, stressing local education budgets. Costs of accepting the young illegal immigrants range from $147.7 million in New York with the addition of 4,159 students, to $18,630 in Montana, which will enroll just one child.

Sen. Vitter attributed the sharp increase in illegal immigrant minors to the Obama administration policies, and in particular to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive action in 2012.

The Republican said that the increase is a "direct response" to President Obama's decision to grant work permits to children brought to the country illegally and warned that the program may be expanded through Obama's promised executive action this fall.

"My concern is that he is going to potentially do the same thing on an even bigger basis, in terms of numbers," Vitter said.

Vitter added that the border crisis with unaccompanied alien children has united Republicans in the Senate to focus on enforcement measures and is hopeful for a GOP victory in the midterms to push back against the administration's efforts.

"I can tell you in Republican conference meetings in the last couple of months talking about that illegal minors crisis, there were plenty of days John McCain (R., Ariz.) was saying the same things and making the same arguments that I was making," he said, laughing. "And that's never happened before in our immigration discussions."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Illegal Alien Minors to Cost One Louisiana School District $4 Million

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The influx of unaccompanied alien children will cost one school district in Louisiana $4.6 million alone this year, as local school budgets across the country are bearing the brunt of the thousands of illegal immigrant minors who crossed the border this summer. According to the Louisiana department of education's response to an inquiry by Sen.

# data[].attributes.headline
                               Civil Rights Complaints

# data[].attributes.subject
                               Civil Rights Complaints

# data[].attributes.body
In addition to the lack of funding, there has been two civil rights complaints filed against the Jefferson Parish School System since 2012. The first complaint said that "Louisiana's largest public school system illegally sought Social Security numbers -- which undocumented children do not have -- and did not communicate with parents in their native languages" (Dreilinger; 2015). A complaint was filed in 2013 which charged that English-language learners were neglected and were promoted despite not mastering the English language.

According to an article published in The Times- Picayune, "The school system (Jefferson Parish School System) was not providing adequate numbers of ESL-certified teachers, and that Latino students were being pulled from ESL classes before they were fully proficient in English. It also alleged that some Jefferson schools had created a "hostile learning environment" for some Latino students" ( Tan; 2013).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The U.S. Department of Education is expanding its inquiry into the Jefferson Parish public school system's English instruction for Latino students. The news comes in the wake of the Southern Poverty Law Center's suit alleging that the school system discriminates against Latino students who are trying to learn English.

The center's original complaint alleged in August 2012 that Jefferson system failed properly to implement its English as a Second Language programs. It filed additional documents with the Justice Department in May. If the Department of Education's 's Office of Civil Rights finds evidence of discrimination, it, too, could take the school system to court.

The law center has alleged that the school system was not providing adequate numbers of ESL-certified teachers, and that Latino students were being pulled from ESL classes before they were fully proficient in English. It also alleged that some Jefferson schools had created a "hostile learning environment" for some Latino students.

It is the third civil rights complaint that the nonprofit public interest center has filed against the system in less than two years. In January 2012, the center accused the school sytem of unfair arrests of black students, In May, it alleged that a disproportionate number of black and disabled students were being sent to alternative schools.

In a Dec. 10 letter to the law center, the Office of Civil Rights said it has agreed to investigation three of the center's four allegations.

In the past, the school system has declined to comment, saying it would not make a statement on an open complaint.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Jefferson Parish schools' treatment of Latino students is subject of expanding federal review

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The U.S. Department of Education is expanding its inquiry into the Jefferson Parish public school system's English instruction for Latino students. The news comes in the wake of the Southern Poverty Law Center's suit alleging that the school system discriminates against Latino students who are trying to learn English.

# data[].attributes.headline
                              Complaint Resolved

# data[].attributes.subject
                              Complaint Resolved

# data[].attributes.body
The 2013 complaint against Jefferson Parish was resolved when administrations reached an agreement with the federal government. Jefferson Parish was required to make the following changes:

Revise enrollment materials to ensure they don't discourage a student from enrolling because of citizenship or immigration status. Administrators shouldn't require that a child present a Social Security card in order to enroll or graduate.

Create a bilingual parent advisory committee to make recommendations on servicing English language learners. Provide updates on potential harassment and bullying.

Train faculty, staff and students at West Jefferson High School, where the alleged bullying of these students occurred, on anti-bullying, harassment and diversity.

Annually administer a school climate survey at West Jefferson to monitor bullying.

Implement translation and interpretation policies, to ensure parents of these students receive essential information in a language they understand.

Revise current policy to ensure that all complaints of discrimination are appropriately investigated.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Jefferson Parish public school system has resolved a federal civil rights complaint that charged it neglected English-language learners and let some of them move on despite not mastering English. This deprived students of equal educational opportunities and constituted illegal discrimination, Southern Poverty Law Center attorneys wrote in their 2013 complaint.

It was the law center's second civil rights complaint for immigrant families with children in Jefferson schools. The first, filed in 2012, said Louisiana's largest public school system illegally sought Social Security numbers -- which undocumented children do not have -- and did not communicate with parents in their native languages. Children are legally entitled to a public education in the United States no matter their immigration status. Jefferson officials resolved that complaint in 2014.

Concern has been growing about educating Spanish-speaking children since Hispanic enrollment grew after Hurricane Katrina, including a wave of Central American children last year. Many live in Jefferson Parish, and the law center charged the school system's program for English as a second language was splitting at the seams. It grew from 185 students in 2009 to more than 3,300 in 2012, according to a report by Gerardo Lopez, then a professor of political science at Loyola University, whom the law center retained unpaid.

State data show that 12 percent of Jefferson public school students, about 5,630 children, were not fluent in English last year, though it was not clear how many were in the second-language program or spoke Spanish at home. It's by far the highest percentage in the state.

"The current number of teachers on the books is insufficient to staff these classes," Lopez wrote. He counted 81 second-language teachers, 41 additional teachers designated to work with those students and 59 aides.

U.S. Education Department investigators had been looking into this, although data were incomplete, according to an October letter to the law center from Taylor August, director of the region's U.S. Education Department civil rights office. At Alfred Bonnabel High in Kenner and Harry S Truman Middle in Marrero, the student-teacher ratios in some classes were found to be higher than school officials reported.

The law center also charged that schools moved English language learners into regular classes prematurely, when they could speak well but still did not read or write fluently. English-language learners had the worst results in the parish on elementary and middle school standardized tests in 2013-14, according to data released by the school system.

In addition, federal law says schools must monitor students for two years after they leave the program. Lopez found no sign Jefferson did this.

Superintendent Isaac Joseph signed a voluntary settlement agreement Sept. 30, according to papers the law center provided to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. It halts the Education Department's investigation.

Although the complaint focused on Hispanic families, the resolution affects all students learning English, no matter what language they speak at home. Joseph promised to:

Evaluate whether schools have enough qualified staff for English as a second language programs, and prioritize hiring teachers where needed for the program

Ensure that all these teachers are either certified or working towards certification by Sept. 1, 2017

Train teachers who work with limited English-speaking students outside of the second-language program

Rewrite policies to ensure students leave the program only when they are truly competent in English

Review the progress of former English as a second language students at least once per year, with the option for the student to return the program if he or she is struggling.

The school system had already instituted signing bonuses and a salary boost to recruit teachers who are certified to teach English-language learners.

This is starting to help, but not as fast as you'd want, Superintendent Isaac Joseph said Friday. "Our influx of immigrant students is outpacing our ability to hire additional staff." He said he has created a new unit in the curriculum office focusing on teaching English as a second language.

School Board President Cedric Floyd said officials wanted to help all they could. "We're happy that students decide to be enrolled in the Jefferson Parish school system, and we want every student to reach their highest potential," he said.

Law center attorney Jennifer Coco's response was more measured. "I am pleased that the district has chosen to take proactive steps to address the allegations in the complaint. This is a step in the right direction," she said. "This certainly won't fix ESL, but we're looking forward to see how this works out."

The Education Department negotiated the agreement with Jefferson schools without the law center's involvement, Coco said.

Federal education officials will monitor how the agreement is implemented. Joseph agreed to submit numerous progress reports.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
For Hispanic students, a new pact to improve Jefferson public schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Jefferson Parish public school system has resolved a federal civil rights complaint that charged it neglected English-language learners and let some of them move on despite not mastering English. This deprived students of equal educational opportunities and constituted illegal discrimination, Southern Poverty Law Center attorneys wrote in their 2013 complaint.

# data[].attributes.headline
How does Jefferson Parish Plan to Accommodate ESL Students? 

# data[].attributes.subject
How does Jefferson Parish Plan to Accommodate ESL Students? 

# data[].attributes.body
A 2014 article from The Advocate states that the Jefferson Parish School System will put about $1 million into the English Language Learners program to try to raise its students’ test scores to the level of English-speaking students by 2018.

It will hire more teachers, support specialists, social workers and an interpreter.

Jefferson Parish currently has 209+ ESL teachers and 247+ ESL Para

An immigrant welcome center will be established and will work more closely with students’ families.

In my research I could not fine the immigrant welcome center. It was scheduled to take over the old Milestone Academy school in 2015 but that appeared to fall through.

The School Board also has voted to offer stipends and bonuses to teachers who speak Spanish, Vietnamese and Arabic to help boost recruitment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Enrollment at Jefferson Parish's public schools swelled by almost 1,500 students in the current school year, with the lion's share of the increase coming from Hispanic children - mostly Honduran - who came to the New Orleans area this summer after fleeing their strife-ridden Central American communities.

The enrollment figures, which are reported twice a year to the state, indicate that the Jefferson school system added 1,467 students and has a total 2014-15 enrollment of 48,126, an increase of 3 percent.

Superintendent James Meza said that while 20 percent of the increase can be attributed to two new charter schools in the system, about 1,200 of the students are enrolled in the English Language Learners program and are predominantly Hispanic.

"A lot of our schools, especially in Kenner and Metairie, have seen increases," agreed Karina Castillo, executive director of the English Language Learners program.

The increase swelled the ELL's ranks to 5,634, an increase of 28 percent.

The influx grabbed headlines this summer as thousands of children, many of them on their own, fled Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, which have increasingly come under the grip of gangs that terrorize civilians with violence and extortion.

The children taken in by the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service were placed with relatives, and many came to the New Orleans area because of its large Honduran population.

Louisiana ranked ninth among the states taking in the refugee children, and the ones that came remain here in limbo as they are being processed through an already backlogged system.

Castillo said East Jefferson absorbed more of the students than West Jefferson, though specific numbers were not available Wednesday afternoon.

She said the system added some English as a Second Language staff to the schools earlier this year in response. But she noted the school system is in the early stages of a restructuring that will put more money and resources into the ELL program - a process that already had been plotted out before the influx this summer.

According to data compiled last year by the New Orleans Community Data Center, Kenner and Metairie already had the highest concentration of Hispanics in the metro area, at 21 percent of those communities' population.

Meza said Jefferson Parish's percentage of Spanish-speaking students is at least four times as large as the state average.

"It's been rising steadily for the last two years, and the district has tried more and more to put more resources into serving these students," said Tina Chong, the system's spokeswoman.

In the coming months, the Jefferson school system will put about $1 million into the English Language Learners program to try to raise its students' test scores to the level of English-speaking students by 2018, hiring more teachers, support specialists, social workers and an interpreter.

The plan also calls for an immigrant welcome center to work more closely with students' families.

The School Board also has approved a plan to offer bonuses and stipends to teachers and staff who speak Spanish, Vietnamese and Arabic to help boost recruitment.

Follow Chad Calder on Twitter, @Chad_Calder.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Honduran students swell Jefferson Parish public school enrollment

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Enrollment at Jefferson Parish's public schools swelled by almost 1,500 students in the current school year, with the lion's share of the increase coming from Hispanic children - mostly Honduran - who came to the New Orleans area this summer after fleeing their strife-ridden Central American communities.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Have you noticed an increase of ESL students in your classroom and or school?

2. Do you think that the Jefferson Parish Public School System has done a good job raising to the occasion of providing better services to ESL students?

# data[].attributes.body
1. Calder, C. (2014, December 19). Honduran students swell Jefferson Parish public school enrollment. Retrieved from https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/communities/east_jefferson/article_bb5a0ef0-67fb-524c-ad42-e42bf96c3629.html

2. Dreilinger, D. (2015, October 31). For Hispanic students, a new pact to improve Jefferson public schools. Retrieved from https://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2015/10/jefferson_schools_esl_complain.html?ath=4beb2dd0cf3489eb213015fdb06d3e38

3. Grimm, A. (2015, August 27). Hispanic immigration post-Katrina finding permanent roots in metro New Orleans. Retrieved from https://www.nola.com/katrina/index.ssf/2015/08/katrina_latino_immigrant_new_o.html

4. Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://jpschools.org/about-us/facts-figures/

5. Illegal Alien Minors to Cost One Louisiana School District $4 Million. (2014, September 18). Retrieved from https://freebeacon.com/issues/illegal-alien-minors-to-cost-one-louisiana-school-district-4-million/

6. Times-Picayune, N. |., Williams, J., & Drapkin, J. U. (2016, January 26). Spike in Central American immigrant students posing challenges in Jefferson Parish. Retrieved from https://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2014/08/spike_in_immigrant_students_po.html

7. Williams, J. (2016, November 24). Immigrant students need more federal aid, James Meza writes. Retrieved from https://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2015/09/immigrant_students_need_more_f.html