LYNN — A new state budget proposal is aiming to address growing concerns over declining student enrollment in Massachusetts districts with large immigrant populations, as educators warn of mounting fear and instability affecting students and families.
The American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts is spearheading efforts to secure resources and protections for immigrant communities in Gateway Cities. The organization has been advocating for targeted financial support as districts grapple with sudden enrollment shifts tied to the current federal immigration climate.
In Lynn, Superintendent Molly Cohen underscored the urgency of that advocacy, stating, “We appreciate the advocacy of the AFT for school districts such as Lynn to obtain critical funding as we deal with a significant enrollment decrease due in large part to enhanced immigration enforcement.”
The Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget, released this week, includes a reserve fund to assist school districts experiencing unexpected fluctuations in the number of non-native English-speaking students.
Union leaders say this measure reflects months of advocacy to stabilize schools facing these challenges. AFT Massachusetts President Jessica Tang emphasized the urgency of the situation, pointing to the fear many immigrant families are experiencing.
“Too many of our immigrant families continue to be gripped by fear. Children worry that when they walk out the door, their family might not be there when they return. Many have resorted to sheltering in place–afraid that just going to school puts their family at risk,” Tang said.
Educators across the state report that federal immigration enforcement policies are having a chilling effect on public education.
Districts such as Boston, Lynn, Chelsea, and Lawrence — home to large immigrant populations — are seeing sharp and unusual declines in multilingual student enrollment. Officials warn that these losses could destabilize school budgets and have ripple effects across entire districts.
Cohen emphasized the broader implications for public education, adding, “We believe that every student has a right to public education, so we must protect the districts that are especially impacted when external forces create instability beyond their control.”
Tang also stated that “These students haven’t disappeared or left and we must do everything in our power to protect our immigrant families and ensure their schools have the tools and resources they need to support them.”
Teachers and staff say they are working to reassure students that schools remain safe environments, but that message is increasingly difficult to maintain amid reports of detentions involving parents and even students.
Cohen reinforced that message, saying, “Our schools are places of learning, safety, and inclusion for all, regardless of immigration status.”
This topic was prevalent more specifically as the Lynn School Committee was in the middle of the FY27 fiscal year budget; the lower enrollment of students played an extreme factor in later proposals and discussions.
In one of the school committee meetings during public hearings, Phil O’Connor, president of the Lynn Teachers Union, described the impact on his district.
“LPS (Lynn Public Schools) were facing a bit of a tight budget due to decreased student enrollment. And while some of this decrease can be attributed to natural movement, specifically students moving to other districts, both within the Commonwealth and outside of the state,” O’Connor stated. “I think we’ve all heard… just working with constituents, that many of these students have just simply not returned and it’s unclear where they are,”
O’Connor went on to state that what is clear is the crisis of the federal government that is targeting the students and families, in turn causing them anxiety, pain, and fear.
“My members witness this daily in the classroom and do everything in their power to support all our students during this terrifying period,” he added. “And I think we can all agree we want these students back and we need to be prepared to do so.”
Cohen highlighted the strain on educators navigating these challenges, noting, “Our educators are doing extraordinary work to hold schools together as spaces of belonging and safety.”
She added a final note of urgency: “They cannot do it alone.”
State officials note that a similar funding approach was used in 2022, when lawmakers established a grant program to help districts manage pandemic-related enrollment swings.
That initiative, administered through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, provided financial stability to nearly 130 districts during a period of significant uncertainty.
Tang added that the union plans to continue pushing for sustained investment. “We look forward to working with the State House to secure meaningful investments and resources so that the schools serving our immigrant students who have been most impacted by the federal mass deportation terror campaigns can not only survive this crisis, but have the foundation in place to support these students when it is ‘safe’ for them to return,” she said.
