Although state funding has grown, some Iowa school districts are seeking more help in covering the rising costs of teaching non-English-speaking students.

The Des Moines Register reports state funding for those students has risen more than 40 percent - or $4.9 million - in the past five years. The number of students has grown almost 20 percent.

But the districts say they needed more money than the state provided.

Districts collected $11.8 million last fiscal year in property taxes for their English Language Learner programs, compared with $6.1 million five years ago.

The amounts spent per student varied widely, from $46 per student in Maquoketa Valley for its three English Language Learners, to nearly $20,300 per student spent by Dike-New Hartford spent for its two non-English-speaking students.