The Dallas Public Library is cutting its adult education programs, including classes for English language learners, as the city tries to deal with a $51 million budget shortfall. Similar resources will now be much harder to find, especially for undocumented students, one library volunteer told NTX Now.
The program elimination was necessary to keep all of the city’s library branches open, Library Director Manya Shorr previously said. The system is also cutting more than 70 positions, about 30 of which are currently filled, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The Dallas Public Library’s classes didn’t ask participants for identification. Undocumented students now have few options, said Kathy Wooten, who was a volunteer English teacher this summer at the Hampton-Illinois Branch Library.
Several of the alternative English programs now listed on the library’s website require ID or proof of legal status in the U.S.
Wooten sat down with NTX Now hosts Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning and called the cuts “baffling.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To hear the conversation in full, click the ‘listen’ button above.
Why the library’s English classes were important
These programs are free. They don’t require registration, and that’s super important for people to be able to come and go.
I had a student — he came, he was gone for a couple of weeks, and then he had to go to Mexico for a funeral, and he came back. Okay, no big deal. Things happen in life.
When we were surveying my students, they were so emphatic about this not happening. It’s like they predicted it on our last days of the class. They were like, please make sure this doesn’t get canceled, because it’s so important to us.
Can the classes continue somewhere else?
The people who are already coordinating are kind of trying to use their contacts to see if the program doesn’t continue, where can we have our classes? Maybe we could have it at a church, or maybe there’s a restaurant that has a meeting room.
We’re all looking for places like that so we can continue to teach our students, because I don’t have any reason to not continue, personally, and it’s really important for us.
We are all looking, but it is so hard. It has proven really difficult to find a place that will host us on Saturday morning, and we can’t change to another day. If you’re coming on Saturday morning because that’s the time you can come, you’re not going to be able to come on Thursday.
The importance of access for undocumented people
Most people aren’t against helping people. Like [Dallas City Council member] Jaime Resendez said, this council serves not just the citizens, but also all residents and that includes undocumented people who these classes serve.
Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning are the hosts of KERA’s NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org or Ron at rcorning@kera.org.
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