Schools in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch district could lose some state funding if the children of illegal immigrants living in Farmers Branch move because of housing restrictions the city passed this week, state officials say.

The city decided Monday to require landlords to check tenants' citizenship status, stirring fear among some immigrants that they will have to relocate.

School districts gets state money for each of its students, and if a student is in bilingual or special-education classes, the payment is higher.

Most of the students in the district's five schools in Farmers Branch are Hispanic, but officials don't know how many of its students are illegal immigrants or the children of illegal immigrants. The schools can only request proof of residency within the district, not immigration documentation, to allow children to enroll.

Officials say they cannot guess how many students the district will lose if some immigrant families leave Farmers Branch.

"I can't predict what will happen, if the families decide to leave or not. It's their decision," said Angela Shelley, spokeswoman for the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district. "We are here to educate children and make families feel welcome, appreciated, and that they are part of our district."

The district includes schools in Carrollton and five neighboring cities, including Farmers Branch. The total number of students registered is 26,219, of which 12,815 are Hispanic.

"If one or two or three or four leave, it would not affect them, but ... [it would] if half of the population or 100 of them leave," said DeEtta Culbertson, the Texas Education Agency spokeswoman. "It all depends on the total number of students in each school and how many of them would leave."

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