Migrant education moves to Magic Valley

After arriving in Twin Falls 2 1/2 years ago, migrant worker Jose Juan Gutierrez didn't know where to find services for his family.

He works 12-hour days at a farm outside the city while his wife, Claudia, cares for their four children. When seasonal work is done here, he's on the move, looking for another job.

It's a lifestyle that's taken the family around Mexico, California and now, Idaho. And it has taken its toll on the children.

Patti O'Dell, associate superintendent for the Twin Falls School District, says students of migrant workers are among Idaho's most at-risk student populations since their education is frequently interrupted.

"Sometimes we lose kids along the way," she said.

Although following the work has been a struggle for the Gutierrez family, they've been able to receive services through the school district's migrant education program. Migrant liaisons helped the family get a computer its two school-aged children use for their school work. The children also receive extra academic help and tutoring.

While families who qualify for migrant services are connected with community resources ranging from food and medical assistance to translation services, meeting strict federal mandates isn't easy.

And despite Twin Falls' growing population of migrant students, O'Dell says many people remain unaware of their presence in the community.

About 261 migrant students enrolled at Twin Falls public schools during the 2010-11 school year. That ranked the district third in the state, behind only Vallivue (in Caldwell) and Cassia County districts.

There aren't quite as many students enrolled now in Twin Falls — about 144 — since it's not the peak agricultural season.

The largest population of Twin Falls migrant students, 63, attends Oregon Trail Elementary School. That's mainly because two migrant housing complexes — El Milagro and Colonia de Colores — are in the southern Twin Falls school's attendance area.

The school is also the home base from which Abby Montano, district migrant liaison coordinator, travels to work with students and their families at different elementary schools.

For decades, TFSD had only one liaison. This year, though, that changed. The district added middle school liaison Vicky Fajardo and high school liaison Lucinda Padilla. O'Dell says their addition has allowed services to be more focused toward each school level.

"It's making a difference already," she said.

Funding for the new positions came from federal migrant education money. This year, the district is receiving $187,106.

The Gutierrez family lives in a small brick apartment in the Colonia de Colores migrant housing project, only minutes from Oregon Trail Elementary.

On a recent morning while both parents were home, Claudia bounced 11-month-old Agustine on her lap while 4-year-old Eduardo played a game. The two older children — Jose Jesus, 15, and Melissa, 13 — were at school.

Claudia and Jose Juan Gutierrez, who speak Spanish as their primary language, shared their thoughts on the migrant student program through Padilla's interpretation.

Claudia says she's grateful for the program and it's helped the family while they were struggling. Although moving for work is hard on her children, they're strong enough to adapt and find friends. It's a little harder for them to keep their grades up, though, she said.

The older children like to play sports, but can't join any teams since their father is the only one who has access to a car. Plus, it's hard to find enough money to pay for activity fees.

Padilla knows firsthand about the challenges migrant families face. As a child, her family traveled from their hometown in Texas for seasonal work. They moved to different states, including Idaho for the potato harvest.

In Murtaugh, migrant students make up about 20 percent of students enrolled in the 250-student school district.

Superintendent Michele Capps said the number of students receiving services, though, has started to drop.

"Our percentage used to actually be a lot higher," she said.

Now, a lot of families don't qualify for services since they're choosing to settle in one location.

"Migrant funds are really restrictive," O'Dell said. Liaisons talk to families to determine whether their children qualify for migrant status.

The Idaho State Department of Education defines a migrant student as "a child who is, or whose parent, spouse or guardian is, a migratory agricultural worker or a migratory fisher who, in the preceding 36 months, in order to accompany or join such parent, spouse, or guardian who is a migratory agricultural worker or a migratory fisher has moved from one school district or another."

In Jerome, the pre-recession number of migrant students was on the decline, as steady work was more readily available. But that trend started to change in 2007.

"We saw some increased mobility due to the economy," said Clark Muscat, federal programs director for the Jerome School District.

The district currently has about 90 enrolled migrant students and only one migrant liaison. But the state funds one regional liaison, based in Jerome, who works with nine area school districts.

In order to help manage the caseload, Jerome School District has a designated manager for migrant students at each of its schools.

"Part of their responsibility is to be aware of the migrant students in their building and to manage those extra points of support they may need," Muscat said.

The goal of migrant student programs is to make sure students' needs are met, whether academic or otherwise.

"We want migrant students to have every opportunity that a regular student has," O'Dell said.

Christine Brown, federal programs director for the Cassia County School District, said the first step is to make sure students' basic needs are taken care of, such as having warm clothing and school supplies.

The next step is to work with students to meet their educational needs. The school district, like many others, offers preschool, summer school and after-school programs.

"Recently, we started purchasing bilingual preschool materials to help them be a little more prepared for when they start school," Brown said.

As migrant students progress through the grades, services are tailored accordingly.

In the Twin Falls School District, for instance, federal migrant money has been used to fund high school students' college visits.

"A lot of students didn't know they could continue their education," Padilla said. "Now, they're getting more excited."

One challenge, O'Dell says, is that parents of migrants students often don't speak English fluently, and thus struggle to help their children with homework or college applications.

It's a familiar situation for the Guzman family, which includes four children enrolled in Twin Falls schools. Both parents are agricultural workers.

Lizabeth, 16 and Jose, 15, go to Canyon Ridge High School. Miguel, who turns 13 this month, attends Robert Stuart Middle School and Chelsea, 8, goes to Oregon Trail Elementary.

Their mother, Bertha Guzman, has worked for Seneca Food Corp. in Buhl for 15 years. She said the migrant program has been a great help for her family. Liaisons make sure her children aren't falling behind in school.

Her youngest daughter, Chelsea, is reading now. At her home near Oregon Trail Elementary, Guzman pulled out a folder with her daughter's work, including handwritten vocabulary words.

Padilla is helping Guzman's older children think about future opportunities such as college.

It's an opportunity Guzman didn't have. In addition to working for Seneca, she also worked in bean fields for 14 years, but didn't get called back this year. Now, she's unemployed, but recently applied for a job at the Chobani Greek yogurt production plant coming to Twin Falls.

Guzman says strong family ties keep her going. Her oldest daughter, Lizabeth, has helped with tasks such as laundry since she was a child. Her son Miguel loves cooking dinner for the family — especially enchiladas.

And Guzman is committed to helping her children get a good education __ the primary goal of the migrant education program.

"The only way to break the cycle of poverty in America is education," O'Dell said.

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Information from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com