>> ERIC: THE LATEST IN THE ONGOING EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF OPERATION METRO SURGE COMES FROM A NEW REPORT FROM THE SAHAN JOURNAL.

AS STUDENTS ARE GETTING READY TO START THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR, REPORTERS FOR THE JOURNAL DOVE INTO ENROLLMENT DATA FROM SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE, AND FOUND THAT AROUND 1,700 STUDENTS STOPPED ATTENDING SCHOOL EARLIER THIS YEAR DURING THE FEDERAL SURGE.

WHY DID THEY LEAVE, HOW MANY CAME BACK, AND HOW DOES THE DATA COMPARE TO PREVIOUS YEARS?

SAHAN JOURNAL'S BECKY DERNBACH IS HERE TO BREAK DOWN HER REPORTING.

WELCOME BACK.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE KIDS?

>> THESE >> THE FOUND THAT ABOUT 1,700, S YOU SAID, LEFT.

BUT THE DATA DOESN'T SHOW WHERE THEY WENT.

I TALKED TO A LOT OF EDUCATORS, A LOT OF ADVOCATES AND HEARD STORIES ABOUT STUDENTS WHO WENT OUT OF STATE FOR THE SURGE, WHO WENT BACK TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES AND SELF-DEPORTED, WHO MOVED IN WITH RELATIVES IN ANOTHER CITY AND SOME WHO NEVER CAME BACK TO SCHOOL.

AND, SO, YEAH, I MEAN, I'LL BE INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT THE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL.

I SPOKE TO A STUDENT NAMED ALLESANDRO WHO GOES TO MIDDLE SCHOOL IN St.

PAUL, HIS FAMILY JUST LEFT IN THE NIGHT AND WENT TO NEW YORK DURING THE SURGE WHEN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD WAS REALLY UNDER SIEGE.

AND THEY ENDED UP COMING BACK.

HE HAD TROUBLE ADJUST TO GO NEW YORK.

HE HAD TO TAKE THE SUBWAY TO SCHOOL.

IT WAS PRETTY OVERWHELMING FROM GOING TO BEING CLOSED UP IN YOUR HOUSE TO BEING IN A SUBWAY WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE SO HE WAS HAPPY TO COME BACK.

AND SOME CAME BACK.

BUT SOME DIDN'T.

>> Cathy: SO YOU CAN'T REALLY TELL JUST HOW MANY ARE BACK AT THIS POINT.

SO THAT'S FOR THE REPORTING -- FURTHER REPORTING FOR YOU.

>> YEAH, SO THE REPORTING I GOT WAS OCTOBER 1 DATA AND MARCH 1 DATA.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE POINTS IN TIME WAS 1,700.

AND NOW, OF COURSE, STUDENTS ARE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL.

>> Cathy: EXACTLY.

YOU KNOW, WE HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO FOLKS IN FRIDLEY, THE FRIDLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: OF COURSE, THEY HAVE A NUMBER OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: THEY WERE WORRIED ONCE THE SURGE STARTED, THEY WERE GOING TO SEE THEIR ENROLLMENT NUMBERS DROP OFF, THAT ACTUALLY DIDN'T HAPPEN.

THEY HAVE HIGHER ENROLLMENT NUMBERS.

I'M WONDERING, DID YOU RUN INTO THAT AT ALL IN ANY OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS?

>> I THINK IT'S TOO EARLY TO SAY WHAT FALL ENROLLMENT LOOKS LIKE.

I TALKED TO FRIDLEY FOR MY STORY AS WELL.

AND, SO, THEY -- THEY HAD LOST ABOUT 55 STUDENTS BETWEEN OCTOBER AND MARCH OF LAST YEAR, THAT'S ABOUT 2% OF THEIR ENROLLMENT.

AND SO WHAT THE FALL NUMBERS LOOK LIKE, THEY MAY BOUNCE BACK, THEY MAY NOT.

BUT ANOTHER ISSUE GOING ON IS ALSO THAT THERE ARE VERY FEW ENGLISH LEARNERS ARRIVING IN MINNESOTA RIGHT NOW.

AND, SO, I TALKED TO SARAH CARANZA, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MULTILINGUAL IN ST.

PAUL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SHE SAID THE DROP STARTED IN 2025, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BECAUSE NORMALLY THEY GET A LOT OF NEW IMMIGRANT STUDENTS WHO ARE LEARNING ENGLISH AND NOW THE BORDERS EFFECTIVELY CLOSED, THERE ARE HISTORICALLY LOW LEVELS OF REFUGEES.

SO IT IS ALSO DEALING WITH THE DECLINING BIRTH RATE AND WE ACTUALLY LOSE MORE RESIDENTS TO OTHER STATES THAN WE GAIN.

AND, SO, THOSE ARE FACTORS THAT HAVE BEEN SHRINKING SCHOOL ENROLLMENT.

SO IMMIGRATION HAS HELPED FUEL IT, SO NOW THAT'S NOT HAPPENING AS MUCH.

>> Eric: THE HEADCOUNT OF STUDENTS IS VITAL TO THEIR FUNDING.

>> CORRECT.

>> Eric: SO EVEN A LOSS OF A COUPLE HUNDRED STUDENTS, I ASSUME, HAS AN IMPACT FINANCIALLY.

>> Eric: YEAH.

SO IN St.

PAUL, THEY ENDED UP HAVING A $14 MILLION BUDGET SHORTFALL THIS YEAR.

AND THEY ENDED UP CUTTING ENG BE GLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS, AND THEY CUT COUNSELORS, OO.

THOSE ARE THE STAFFERS THAT SUPPORT THE STUDENTS, WHO ARE REALLY AFFECTED BY METRO SURGE AND NOW THEY WON'T HAVE THOSE SAME LEVELS OF SUPPORT.

>> Cathy: I WONDER, TOO, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NUMBERS AND STUDENT NUMBERS AND FINANCES, I'M CURIOUS, THOUGH, WHETHER YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT MAYBE THE EMOTIONAL EFFECTS OF -- THE KIDS WHO CAME BACK HAVE GOT TO BE TRAUMATIZED, I WOULD THINK.

>> RIGHT, YEAH.

AND, I MEAN, YEAH, I MEAN, THEY REALLY WENT THROUGH A LOT, YOU KNOW.

I WAS TALKING ABOUT ALLESANDRO, HE, YOU KNOW, REALLY HAD A HARD TIME ADJUSTING IN NEW YORK, HIS SELF-ESTEEM WAS DROPPING, HIS GRADES WERE DROPPING, HE HAD BEEN CLOSED UP IN HIS HOUSE WITHOUT ENOUGH FOOD FOR MONTHS LEADING UP TO THE FAMILY'S DECISION TO LEAVE, AND, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, KIDS REALLY DID GO THROUGH A LOT, AND THERE'S A LOT OF TRAUMA, AND I THINK THAT HOSE ARE EFFECTS THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE SEEING FOR A LONG TIME TO COME.

>> Eric: YOU AND YOUR DATA TEAM DO A TREMENDOUS JOB MINING ALL OF THIS.

>>