Pitt County’s population of non-proficient English speakers is growing and school officials are addressing a rise in the population with shifts in services. There are nearly 1,000 students in Pitt County’s schools who need some level of English as a second language instruction. That number is expected to grow by 265 students next year.

Officials are planning changes to the ESL program to give those students more time with specialized teachers. Sylvia Mizzelle, director of federal programs for Pitt County Schools, has developed a plan that will likely add four full-time teaching positions to the county to bring the total to 12.

“We are also looking at maximizing the funds that we have,” said Worth Forbes, associate superintendent. “We want to do a better job of identifying ELL (English Language Learners) students so that we can send the appropriate number to the state and receive the appropriate amount of funding.” (more…)

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