Miami Dade School Board members are in Tallahassee today asking for more funding to meet the needs of the thousands of immigrant students who have arrived so far this school year.
18,000 students who the school district says are mostly from Cuba and are already studying in Miami Dade public schools.
At Hialeah Gardens High School, for example, there are about 350 Esol, or English as a Second Language, students.
So far this school year, 18,000 students from other countries are enrolled in Miami Dade public schools.
Most are from Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba, and for their education it is necessary to have more resources.
Luisa Santos of the Miami Dade School Board, who is in Tallahassee today demanding more government funding, and Roberto Alonso, who said they are also trying to get more federal funding.
In total, school board members are asking for between $12 million and $14 million in public funds for programs like Esol.