Education
Education

Gwinnett schools spending more on interpreters

By
Oct 14, 2015

A decade ago, about 29 percent of Gwinnett students spoke a language other than English at home. Today, it’s 37 percent, district officials say.

That increase, and federal requirements to better serve families who speak little or no English, has resulted in Gwinnett spending more money on interpretation services, school district officials say. School board members are scheduled Thursday to increase its maximum budget for those services to $1.5 million, three times what it spent last school year.

Gwinnett officials stress the $1.5 million is a cushion if the need is greater than they anticipate.

Read more about the issue here.

About the Author

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

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