By Andy O’Brien
“I wish when I immigrated to Maine, there had been a program like the one proposed in this bill,” he said. “It’s the perfect fit for highly motivated immigrants with skills Maine needs to fill critical gaps in the state’s workforce.” Luis Dias
On March 3, the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs held a public hearing on a bill to establish a two-year pilot program to expand intensive English language learner programs at the University of Maine (UMaine) and the University of Southern Maine (USM).
LD 471, “Resolve, to Establish a Pilot Program to Expand Intensive English Language Learner Programs,” sponsored by Sen. Joe Rafferty (D-Dist. 4, York), would also provide stipends for low-income students to cover the costs of childcare and transportation, to facilitate participation in the program. The bill, which would cost roughly $4.3 million, would serve an estimated 780 students.
Through a six-month intensive program, Rafferty said, LD 471 would give English language learners the opportunity to learn the language more quickly than is currently possible. A goal would include filling workforce shortages in the state. However, the benefits of the program would extend far beyond filling job vacancies, he said.
“Participants will see substantial improvements in their earnings as they gain access to positions that match their skills and education. These higher wages translate directly to increased tax [revenue] for our state and, as participants achieve financial independence, their reliance on public assistance will decrease, creating additional savings for Maine taxpayers.”
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Rafferty said that passage of the bill would stimulate economic development by allowing business to expand by providing them with a larger pool of workers. As Amjambo Africa has previously reported, hundreds of New Mainers are on waiting lists for English language courses at adult education centers in Portland and other cities. In addition, the proposed program outlined in LD 471 would be more rigorous than those adult education courses, as it would expand access to intensive English language programs already offered to international students at UMaine and USM.
The pilot program is designed for asylum seekers and refugees, and also would create two new positions dedicated to helping students navigate and access Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits to help support their families while they participate in the program.
Finally, the bill seeks to create a pipeline of qualified educators by awarding full scholarships or tuition waivers for students pursuing USM’s online accelerated master’s degree program “Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.” Scholarship and tuition waiver recipients would be required to teach in an intensive English language learner program in the state for a certain length of time.
Several business owners and graduates of Maine’s intensive English programs testified in support of the bill.
Businessman Oleg Opalnyk of Pownal, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine 26 years ago, told the committee that he had taken an eight-month intensive English language course when he arrived, and it helped him excel in his studies. Since 2022, he said he has supported 100 war refugees including adults and their children, and has connected them with housing and employment.
Opalnyk said, “The biggest challenge to become independent is the ability to get a decent job. Without decent English language skills, they are only able to find employment in situations where speech is not highly needed for the work,” he said. “These jobs do not pay well enough to support a family.
“In our group of Ukrainian war refugees are doctors, dentists, nurses, hospital administrators, engineers, IT specialists, and teachers. None of them can fill these roles here because their English skills are minimal. They are employed in janitorial services, childcare, and construction work.”
Luis Dias, a grants accountant for the city of Lewiston, testified that he was highly motivated to learn English when he immigrated to the United States because he came to Maine after having spent a decade as an accountant for a multinational corporation in his home country of Angola. When he arrived, he said he was put on long waiting lists for adult education English courses, and was only able to study English there for an hour or two, five days a week. Eventually, he went to community college and graduated USM with a 3.8 grade point average.
“I wish when I immigrated to Maine, there had been a program like the one proposed in this bill,” he said. “It’s the perfect fit for highly motivated immigrants with skills Maine needs to fill critical gaps in the state’s workforce.”
He said it was particularly important that the legislation include funding for basic living expenses:
“Without funds to cover living expenses, skilled workers might choose to stay in a low-paying job simply to have food to put on the table, rather than enroll in a full-time intensive English program that will allow them to get back to their careers, increase their earnings, contribute more in revenue to the state, and no longer rely on public assistance,” he wrote.
People who testified at the public hearing for LD 471 were overwhelmingly supportive, but Republicans on the committee expressed reservations about the bill because it is designed to support immigrants and not U.S.-born people.
TANF’s Parents as Scholars program currently helps low-income parents who are enrolled in two- or four-year college studies with monthly cash benefits, childcare, transportation, car repairs, books and supplies, and more.
