Report on Cuban Non-Immigrant Children Enrolled in Schools of Dade County, Florida, January 27, 1961

Refugees

Cuban Americans

Refugees--Government policy

Refugees--Services for

Refugee children--Education

Report submitted to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Thomas D. Bailey by Sam H. Moorer, Director of the Division of Instructional Services regarding the education of Cuban refugee children and adults in Dade County. The report describes the background of the situation and comments on procedures for registering and serving refugees and the financial impact of these services.

Moorer, Samuel Henry, 1911-2003

State Archives of Florida, Series S756

1961-01-27

reports

eng-US

Text

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Postwar Florida (1945-1968)

Miami (Fla.)

Miami-Dade County (Fla.)

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Bailey, Thomas David, 1897-1974

REPORT ON CUBAN NON-IMMIGRANT CHILDREN ENROLLED IN SCHOOLS OF DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA Thomas D. Bailey,Superintendent State Department of Education Tallahahassee, Florida January 27,1961

STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TALLAHASSEE January 27,1961 Hon. Thomas D. Bailey Superintendent of Public Instruction Tallahassee, Florida Dear Superintendent Bailey: On January 13, 1961, you requested me to look into problems relating to the education of more than 3,500 cuban refugee children now enrolled in the public schools of Dade County. Ably assisting in the task, at your request and at the request of Dr. Joe Hall, were Mr. William Vincent of our staff, along with Dr. Paul Blackwood and Dr. Horace W. Lundberg of the United States Office of Education. Numerous individuals, schools, and agencies were contacted and visited in Miami on January 16, 17, 18 and 19, 1961. A report of our findings is attached herewith. Respectfully submitted, Sam H. Moorer, Director Division of Instructional Services 1

GENERAL SITUATION Throughout our history the United States has been regarded as a haven for freedom loving people. Because of its geographic location Florida has, since the beginning, been a port of entry from latin America. Many have come as friendly visitors, some as immigrants, and some as political refugees. What is new in the present situation is the massive proportions of the current influx and the desperate circumstances of those coming in recent months from Cuba. This situation has now assumed the dimensions of a crisis. During the fall of 1960 city officials of Miami called on Governor Leroy Collins who in turn called on President Eisenhower for recognition of the situation as an emergency and for assistance from the Federal government. The President appointed Mr. Tracy Voorhees as his personal representative to study the Miami situation. He also released one million dollars of Mutual Security Funds for immediate use in studying the situation and in taking interim steps to alleviate the desperate conditions prevailing among thousands of Cuban refugees. The purpose of this report ( based on a study made independent of the Voorhees Committee) is to give attention to one aspect of the situation- the steps being taken to provide for the educational needs of the children of these people, and to some degree, of the adult refugees. At the time of this writing, it was estimated that there are some 35,000 prop;e in the Miami area who can be classified as non-immigrant Cubans. Over 6,000 of these are enrolled in the public and parochial schools of Dade County and more enter each day. For the most part these people represent the middle and upper classes. Many are professional people--doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses and the like. At first the refugees were able to bring some finances and personal possessions along with them. These resources are rapidly becoming exhausted. Recent refugees have not been permitted to bring more than the equivalent of $5. In U.S. currency and practically nothing else more than the clothes on their backs. Two Factors, particularly, intensify the social problem of the Cubans. Many lack facility in the English Language. Furthermore, in their migration they have all undergone the trauma of separation from a known culture, family or friends. Frequently their coming has been precipitous, often necessitating a marked deterioration of social and economic position and loss of the security of an intact family group. The school and other community agencies must relate to and serve the non-immigrant Cuban as he undergoes these different experiences. Protective services are needed for the unattended children and others in danger of neglect, dependency or delinquency. In some instances the danger arises from their becoming economically or otherwise burdensome on friends or distant relatives who are unable to provide adequate care and support. -1-

Their inability to speak English, lack of conference with the labor market and the scarcity of employment in the Miami area has created economic dependence for many Cuban families. Any resources that remain in Cuba are inaccessible. Thus, a large proportion of the non-immigration Cubans are unable to meet their basic maintenance needs. The Cuban’s competition for available jobs has adversely affected the labor market in general. Considerable aid has been provided from public, private and religious welfare organizations. The resources of all these groups and from many individuals in the area have been strained to the breaking point and the situation daily becomes worse. Immediate problems, of course, revolve around provision of the basics of survival -- food, shelter, and clothing. After these come the problems of maintaining health, securing employment, and providing for the education of the children. The intent of this report is to focus on the impact of the Cuban refugees on the educational resources of the area. In making this report we have made two assumptions which underlie our observations and recommendations. These are: (1) The situation is likely to continue for some time, and (2) It is to the best interest of the people of the United States to take immediate steps to alleviate the situation. EDUCATIONAL SITUATION Number of Children There are an estimated 6.225 Cuban children enrolled in the schools of Dade County. Of these, 3,575 are in the public schools and 2,650 are in the parochial schools. These estimates are shown in the accompanying table along with the total school population. Type of School Public Parochial Private Total Enrollment 165,754 (as of 1-10-61) 17941 (as of 1-18-16) Estimated Cuban Non-immigrant Children 3,575 2,650 Percent of Total Enrollment 2.16 14.77 * A sampling of 6 of the 41 known private schools in Dade County indicates that there are a few non-immigrant children in attendance and that almost without exception they are paying the full fees or tuition. (In 6 private schools sampled, 21 non-immigrant children were enrolled among the 495 pupils). -2-

These children are not equally dispersed among all the schools. Rather they are concentrated in large numbers in schools in about 5 areas of the country. A number of elementary and junior high schools have no Cuban non-immigrant, and in one, the Riverdale Elementary School, 69% of the pupils are Cuban non-immigrant children. In the schools where a large proportion of children are non-immigrant Cubans, the problems are intensified as will be indicated later. Before presenting a summary of the problems attributable in a large part to the influx of non-immigrants Cuban children, a brief description of how the schools are actually handling the children will be given. Registration Centers Three centers have been established by the County School System for initial registration of all non-immigrant pupils. These are the Coral Gables Senior High School Center, Miami Jackson Junior-Senior High School Center and the Miami Senior High School Center. Children wishing to be assigned to public elementary and secondary schools report to these centers for assignment to the appropriate school. At these centers preliminary information about previous schooling is recorded and an estimate of the appropriate grade assignment may be made. However, little counseling, testing, evaluation or guidance is available at these centers. Rather the children are assigned to schools as wisely as possible and the receiving scholls orient, assign to classes and provide programs for the pupils in various ways as described in sample cases in the subsequent section of the report. Public School Procedures and Programs The Dade County Public Schools have developed a guide for “Planning for Non-English Speaking Pupils.” This document sets forth a general philosophy of guiding principles, suggestions for school organization, and suggestions for instructional procedures and evaluation at both the elementary and junior-senior high school levels. 1 In the different schools the principles and guidelines are applied with various adaptations. The cases described below will illustrate how selected schools deal with the problem. Elementary Schools Of the 1,075 children in the Riverside Elementary School, 69% are “Latins” with varying degrees of competence in speaking English. Sixty-two new children entered within the week prior to our visit and 14 on the day of our visit. Upon entering the school almost all of these spoke very little or no English. 1 Bulletin 1-C Planning for Non-English Speaking Pupils, Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Florida. -3-

Here, under the direction of the principle, all children are assigned directly to a grade and class without any prior sessions for learning English or general orientation. Each Teacher groups children within the rooms in ways to take account of their varying abilities in English. One orientation teacher (more are needed) works 45 minutes each day with groups of 10 first and second grade children. This is primarily on English and is continued daily until they can more easily be integrated in the regular program. Portable classroom buildings are being added to accommodate the increased enrollment. The assistance of a bilingual county visiting teacher is available. Extensive cooperation with parents of these children through a Mother’s Club, P.T.A programs put on by the Spanish speaking parents, and individual teacher-parent counseling are characteristic of the school program. The Citrus Grove Elementary school has an enrollment of 900 pupils, about 300 being non-English speaking. At the beginning of the school year the school year the school enrollment was 803, and as in other schools new children are being admitted each day. Children are assigned to regular classes, but each day for about an hour they are taken from their home room classes to work with an orientation teacher. The basic purpose of the orientation classes is to help children learn to speak and understand English. Each home room teacher is also responsible for helping the children to learn English as well as the other attitudes, skills, and knowledge which make up the curriculum. The teachers do a remarkable job considering that the classes, in some instances, have 42 children in them. Other teachers will be available to reduce the class size when classrooms become available . In this school, the P.T.A. employs a bilingual teacher who teaches English to a group of parents twice each week. About 32 parents attend the course which runs for 6 weeks. This work with parents serves also to help the Cuban parents understand the elementary school and its program. Junior High School The Ada Merritt JuniorHigh School with an enrollment of over 800, has nearly 400 Latins of which 200 have enrolled within the last three months. Most of these are Non-Immigrant Cubans. Resources for receiving, registering and assigning the non-immigrant pupils are a bilingual secretary, a bilingual counselor and an orientation teacher. Each Student is placed in a regular home room and is assigned a bilingual “buddy”. Each student is also assigned four major subjects (English, mathematics, Science, Social Studies) and an orientation class. The orientation classes are organized on three levels: Elementary, to deal with basic English vocabularies; intermediate, to develop competence with subject area vocabularies; Advanced, to deal with advanced writing and reading in English. -4-

A faculty-wide cooperation effort is made to provide the best program possible for all children, including the non-immigrant children. Subject area teachers meet frequently to talk over what each teacher can contribute to the overall needs of each pupil. Citrus Grove Junior High School has a total enrollment of 1,000 pupils. About 300 of these are Cuban refugee, non-immigrant children. The school; has bilingual orientation teachers. The children who speak English well when they register at the school are assigned immediately to a regular program for the grade. Sometimes the initial placement is not satisfactory and in such cases they are reassigned to better meet their requirements. The children who speak no or very little English are assigned to a two-hour orientation class each day, either a beginning class or a more advanced class depending on their competence with English and their knowledge of school rules and customs. In addition to the orientation class, each pupil is assigned other subjects such as physical education, social studies, science, art and algebra. Considerable individual counseling and guidance enters into making these assignments. Senior High Schools The Largest concentration of non-immigrant Cuban high school students is in Miami Senior High School. There are about 250 in a student body of 3,366. In order to meet the language difficulty and to adapt to a new culture and school program a carefully planned orientation program is in effect. One orientation teacher has two 2-hour blocks. Each new non-immigrant student is assigned to a daily 2-hour block of time with an orientation teacher. Here they study English, customs, school regulations, and general citizenship. During the fall semester one orientation teacher had two such classes for beginners. In addition, this teacher has had an advanced orientation class for one hour daily. Students “graduate” to the advanced orientation class when the teacher, counselor and principal jointly agree each pupil is ready. Ordinarily, however, pupils stay in the beginning class for at least one semester. Because of the rapid learning and adaptation of the pupils in the beginning groups, the school is organizing for the spring semester 1961, only one 2-hour beginning class and three ( instead of one) 1-hour advanced classes. In addition to the orientation courses students take the regular courses in the curriculum. At the school, beginning in the spring 1961 semester, another parallel orientation program is being developed. For a group of approximately 40 absolutely new pupils a 2-hour block will be organized in -5-

Which English, mathematics, geography, social studies and citizenship will be given attention. Pupils will “graduate” in most instances from this program directly into regular classes. Coral Gables Senior High School, with about 200 Cuban students in the school population of 2,670, places the non-immigrants directly in the regular high school classes. As these students continue to arrive, it is difficult to adhere to the county guidelines of placing no more than 3 to 5 non-English speaking children in a single classroom. It is reported that children learn and improve their English well through interacting and communication in the regular classes. Even so, school officials believe that a “crash program” for teaching English might be valuable before students are placed in regular academic courses. Counseling services are available to the pupils and they are assisted, within the limits of staff time, to solve their numerous school and personal problems. Adult Education Remarkable opportunities are available in the county for adult education. Tha Dade County School System provides extensive vocational education, available to adults, as well as a varied, general adult program for anyone over 16 years of age. Classes are available in languages(English, English for new Americans, Reading, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian), Commercial Courses, Distribution Education, Homemaking, Business and Marketing, general adult high school courses, and others. Though the $50. Tuition and other fees may be charged, They have been waived for the most part for persons entering the general adult education program. The adult education program is supported by the state through allotment of instructions; units, of which there are 63.7 this year. With the influx of non-English speaking persons to the Miami area, the number of required English classes has increased so greatly that the state support is exceeded and the additional classes are at the expense of the Dade County Schools. In addition to the needed English and Americanization classes for recent immigrants and non- immigrant Cubans, adult classes are badly needed for the following types of persons: Professionals who need refresher or additional courses in order to qualify to practice or to be licensed. These include medical doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers and lawyers, for example. (2) Persons needing vocational training in order to secure employment, e.g. in distributive jobs. Local employers and trades people who need to learn Spanish in order to work with others in a community now host to a greater Spanish- speaking population. -6-

Persons wishing art, crafts, literature, music and other “cultural” subjects. Because the finances have been exhausted in providing “English for new Americans” and Spanish classes, other classes in the art and crafts have been dropped. This results in a real, if indirect, cultural deprivation to the Miami area. Additional resources are needed also to explore possibilities and provide proper educational opportunities for professional people( as mentioned in 1 above). Programs in the Parochial Schools The 2,650 non-immigrant Cuban children enrolled in Parochial Schools are almost all in elementary grades. The crowded secondary schools and the entrance requirements combine to prevent many children of high school age from being admitted. The largest concentration of Cuban children are in the Gesu Elementary School. There are 200 in the population of 5450 children. All children who speak Spanish only are enrolled in a “first grade” orientation class where they gain a working knowledge of English so that when they are assigned to a regular grade class they have a chance to keep up. In recent months three full time bilingual teachers have been added to provide this orientation. Children in this school receive free school lunches, are entered tuition-free, and in every way possible given opportunities to make a good adjustment to school and to life in this country. The concentration of Children in other elementary parochial schools is less; so in most instances, the children are distributed immediately in the on-going classes. Cuban Secondary Schools An experimental secondary school has been organized with a capacity of 200. It will be held in the same building that houses the Centro Hispana Catolico and the Gesu Elementary School. The curriculum will be the same as a typical Cuban secondary school with the addition of English and American history. It will help Cuban Students maintain their academic level until they return to Cuban schools. Spanish will be spoken for teaching purposes. The staff is drawn from Catholic sisters who have taught in Cuba refugee teachers. Problems and Need of the Schools The above brief descriptions of school adaptations to provide for the education of the non-immigrant Cuban population have not highlighted -7-

the problems encountered. This section will enumerate these problems as they were pointed out time after by persons who work closely with the children and with school programs. The concentration of non-English speaking children in one school area accentuates the cultural differences and introduces problems of class organization. In order not to deprive resident children of a full, rich and on-going school experience ways must be invented to keep the regular programs functioning in as normal a manner as possible. It has been impossible in several schools to adhere to the general policy of assigning only 4 or 5 non-English speaking children to a classroom. For example, in the school that has 69% of the population of Latin origin, almost every class has that percentage of Latin children in it. This problem appears to be felt more keenly in the high school classes where academic advancement has a high priority and where the teacher, whose time is deflected to a few children who do not understand English, may not do justice to all students. Related to this, it is reported that the orientation classes (where they exist) are generally so large that teachers have difficulty. Or putting it the other way, smaller classes would enable the teacher to give more much-needed individual attention to pupils. Only by employing more orientation teachers are smaller groups possible. Whether more bilingual teachers or just more good teachers are needed depends on the school situations and their plans for integrating the children into the school. Various programs are being used, and research would be welcomed on just which procedures are best. This would require additional personnel, but in our judgement, would pay off in the long run in improved programs. Universally, in the schools with mom-English speaking children, the great need seems to be for additional teaching materials. Many high interest, low reading levels materials need to be purchased or developed. Visual aids of all kinds are required. Guidance, testing, counseling and placement problems are serious and continuous and appropriate materials for testing children are needed. Because of the prevalence of cultural and emotional disturbances, children need much counseling and personal help. The need for visiting teachers or school welfare services is increased because of the little knowledge of Cuban parents of American school expectations and programs for their children. School Lunches have been provided free by the many schools for the Cuban children. Aside from the difficulty of eating unfamiliar food, the pride and sensitivity of Cuban parents makes the acceptance of food, clothing and shelter a different thing. These attitudes are reflected in the behavior of children. In summary, the greatest needs of the schools seem to be additional and new materials, increased personnel for counseling, guidance and teaching, and more classrooms to relieve overcrowding. It must be said that the effort expended and the spirit with which Dade County School administrators, teachers and supervisors approach this problem merit the highest praise. -8-

The Dade County School System currently spends $380. Per pupil annually for current expenses. It has been estimated that an average initial expenditure of about $900. Is required for capital outlay for each new pupil. Approximately 3,500 Cuban refugee children are now enrolled in the Dade County elementary and secondary schools. This represents an annual expenditure of $1,330,000. In current expenses and an initial capital outlay of $3,150,000. For the education of these children. Some 2,600 refugee children are currently enrolled in Dade County parochial schools. This has caused severe overcrowding in classrooms and has imposed a heavy burden on the financial resources of the Cathilic school system of the diocese. Very few of the students have been able to pay any part of the tuition fees. In addition, several hundred Cuban refugees are enrolled in the general adult and adult vocational education classes. The largest number are enrolled in classes in English. Fund for the support of the schools come primarily from state and local tax revenues. A breakdown of sources of Dade County Public Schools funds in 1959-60 showed 57.7% from local tax sources, 41.8% from state sources, .4% from federal sources and .1% from philanthropic and non-revenue receipts. Florida law requires the payment of a tuition fee of $50 per annum for non-residents. Very few Cuban refugees have been able to pay this fee and the Dade County School Board has waived the fee in most cases. Thus it can be seen that the residents of Dade County and the State of Florida at large are making a very substantial contribution toward meeting the educational needs of both child and adult refugees. The expenditures cited above are regular and routine expenditures which would be incurred by additional students regardless of their origin. Dade County and the State of Florida have experienced phenomenal growth in recent years and have long been accustomed to absorbing large numbers of additional school enrollees and picking up the tab for ever-increasing school costs. However, people moving in from other parts of the United States usually have jobs or financial resources so that they become local citizens and taxpayers contributing to the local economy. It has already been shown that Cuban refugees are almost totally dependent on others for all kinds of assistance. Since state allocations to county school systems in Florida are based on average daily attendance, increased state-aid to Dade County has been automatically forthcoming. It should be pointed out, however, that state allocations are, for the most part, based on ADA of the previous year. This means that increased state funds are always one year behind the actual influx of new students. -9-

No one can question the fact that Dade County citizens are making very close to their maximum local effort to support their scholls. At present property assessments are uniformly high and local taxes have reached a total of 19 mills. The maximum allowable under the State Constitution is 20 mills. In addition to the ordinary and usual school costs occasions by new school enrollments from other parts of Florida and the United States, the massive influx of Cuban refugee children has caused for unusual and extraordinary expenditures for orientation teachers; special testing, counseling, and classification services; special instructional aids; free lunches and other aspects of the educational programs which have been described in more detail in preceding sections of this report. One does not need to continue further in order to establish the extent of the strain of more than 6,00 cuban refugee children on the financial resources of Florida and Dade County for educational services alone. For the most part this burden has been borne quietly and with a minimum of complaint. The people of Florida and especially of Dade County have again demonstrated in action that the United States is still a haven of refuge for persecuted and dispossessed people of other lands. By an accident of geography, Florida has been the focal point of the current influx of thousands seeking an asylum of freedom. It is our belief, however, that meeting the educational needs of these people whose faith in the humanitarian ideal of our land brought them to us should be not only a local and state responsibility, but a shared responsibility of the entire nation. The kind of response our nation gives to the Cuban refugee problem in Florida and wherever else it may exist speaks more eloquently than our words to the rest of Latin America and, for that matter, to all the world. As an individual who was interviewed put it “Cuba may be only the beginning.” We must not fail in this crisis to live up to our own humanitarian ideals and to the image of America we wish to keep before the world. Financial assistance for education from the Federal government is urgently needed at the earliest possible moment not only to reimburse Dade County School System for extraordinary expenses already incurred but also for such expenses as long as the situation continues to be critical. -10-

Schools and Agencies Visited and Persons Contacted Dade County School Administration Dr. Joe Hall, Superintendent Robert B. Turner, Jr., Assistant Superintendent for General Education Robert Wilson, Director, Senior High Schools John E. Earle, Director, Junior High Schools Betty Gilkey, Director, Elementary Education Callie B. Sievers, Assistant Director Elementary Education James Rice, Director, Pupil Welfare and Attendance Edward O.Schweitzer, Supervisor, Visiting Teachers F.L. Scheffsky, Supervisor, General Adult Education Miami Senior High School Olin C. ebb, principal Keith N. Bennett, principal, Adult School and several teachers. 3.Ada Merritt Junior High School Solomon Lichter, principal and several teachers 4. Riverdale Elementary School Edith Chase, principal and several teachers 5. Coral Gables Senior High School Harry N.Rath, principal Dean of Boys Dean of Girls and several teachers 6. Citrus Grove Elementary School Flora Sampson,principal and several teachers -11-

7. Citrus Grove Junior High School Ralph E. Paige, Guidance Director And several teachers 8. Cuban Refugee Emergency Center Mr. Foster, Representative of Mr. Voorhees Mr. Tacon, Interviewer 9. Centro Hispano Calolico Father Brian Walsh 10. Gesu School Sister St. Anne, principal and several teachers 11. Community Welfare Council Thomas Winterstein Robert Jones 12. Dade County Public Welfare Robert Nicholson, Director Child Welfare Robert Lowe, Director -12-