A nearly 35% jump since last year in the number of children in Waukegan’s public schools new to the United States has pushed the newcomer population to approximately 10% of the entire Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 student body.
As the District 60 Board of Education listened to plans to provide the support necessary to educate the newcomers, board member Anita Hanna demanded to know what progress has been made with the African American Male Achievement Initiative introduced nearly a year ago.
Hanna’s outburst prompted board President Brandon Ewing to call a short recess to cool tempers Tuesday at the Lincoln Center administration building in Waukegan. Hanna and two other board members were not present when the meeting resumed.
Newcomers are defined for state-funding purposes as immigrant children enrolled in public schools who arrived in the United States over the past three years.
Elisabeth Ambroiggio, the district’s director of bilingual and multicultural programs, said more than the 1,431 newcomers are immigrants, but they have lived in the country more than three years.
Ambroiggio said a wide range of services are planned, and more are needed for the mostly Spanish-speaking students, who may not speak much English.
Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said before the presentation on the planned support for the newcomers that a discussion on the progress of the African American Male Achievement Initiative would soon follow, but Hanna was not satisfied.
“There is a Black boy initiative, and we’re waiting,” Hanna said. “Where are all these supports for our African American students?”
Board member Adriana Gonzalez asked to make a “point of order,” since the presentation was about accommodations for new students of varying ages. Over the past five years, they have come from 33 countries, with 864 from Honduras, 515 from Mexico, 117 from Venezuela and 90 from India.
“No, you can’t,” Hanna said. “You’re talking about your people; I’m talking about my people. Do not interrupt me.”
Emphasizing “they are all our students,” Ewing asked for calm. As Hanna persisted, Ewing made it clear the discussion on the Black male initiative would take place at a later time. As Hanna continued to insist, he called the recess.
When the meeting resumed 10 minutes later, Hanna, Gonzalez and board member Carolina Fabian had left. Ewing offered an explanation and an apology, and the meeting — with barely a quorum — adjourned shortly thereafter.
“Part of our equity conversation is to make sure we are meeting each student group where they have needs,” Ewing said after the recess. “We had a specific agenda item which was related to our newcomers which was of interest to many board members as a requested topic.”
A graduate of District 60’s schools, Ewing, who is Black, said he has three sons and is very aware of the Black male experience. He said he also knows his role as the representative of the entire community.
“I understand the passion, but I am a Black man who represents a school district that is 81% Latinx where we have students who are identified as new to our country, and their needs are unique. A lot of times we forget that includes Black people, too.
With approximately 14,000 students attending District 60 schools from preschoolers through high school seniors, 1,423 are newcomers, according to a report issued Tuesday. The term before there were 931.
During the 2014-2015 school year, 392 newcomers attended District 60 schools, according to the report. The number jumped to 802 for the 2019-2020 school year, and was relatively steady until now. In the 2023-2024 school year, the new arrivals climbed steadily each month — from 150 in August to close to 500 in April.
Though no school officials would attribute the sudden increase to the migrants being bused to the Chicago area after crossing the Mexican border in Texas, Plascencia said after the meeting there are a variety of reasons they are here.
“Every family that arrives comes for the opportunities in our great country,” she said. “My job is to provide the support and resources so (the children) can be productive students and get a good education in the Waukegan public schools.”
Ewing said when families arrive at the district registration office, the process is a simple one. Families provide the needed information. Then they are enrolled in the appropriate grade and school.
“We follow the law,” he said. “The law does not say anything about the country of origin.”
With the newcomers being English-learners, Ambroiggio said a variety of supports are offered. There is tutoring after school and on Saturdays. During weekend sessions, there are monthly workshops for parents with a bilingual psychologist addressing specific issues. There is also summer school designed to meet newcomers’ needs.
Complementing the educational tools, she said there are summer enrichment activities planned for children at all levels of school and their families to acclimate them to the culture in Waukegan.
With 51% of all district students enrolled in dual-language programs, Ambroiggio said there is a wide range of needs from those who are moving toward taking English-only classes, to newcomers who arrive unable to read in Spanish or English.
