Feds cut grant for Chinese program

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Updated: March 11, 2012 8:26AM

As Barrington Community Unit School District 220 officials learned the federal government eliminated the $1.5 million Foreign Language Assistance Program grant the district had received to support the Chinese Immersion program, the district must now grapple with how to keep the program going.

Parents came out in droves, leaving standing room only at the school board’s regular meeting Tuesday night at barrington High School, as parents involved in the program lobbied for ways to keep the program running.

“We all recognize the unenvious task you had before you before the federal government backed out of... promised funds,” said Robert Windon, parent of a first grader in the Chinese Immersion program and trustee for the Village of Barrington. “... We would like to form some sort of task force... We have a passion for this program that, to be frank, you guys won’t have.”

On Monday, Superintendent Tom Leonard sent a letter home to parents about the grant’s elimination. He wrote to parents that while there are still plenty of unknowns, comments and suggestions were welcomed.

“While we cannot yet commit to the future of the program in our schools, I can assure you the Board of Education will prudently consider the ramifications of this news, including a thoughtful discussion about feasibly sustaining the curriculum while honoring our responsibility to parents, students, staff and taxpayers,” Leonard wrote. “Regardless, the current cohort will definitely continue through the end of this school year.”

A Chinese Immersion program cost projections chart was provided to those in attendance. It showed that for the 2011-12 school year, the cost of the program is about $170,000. It is estimated to cost about $243,200 for the 2012-13 school year; estimated to cost about $316,200 for the 2013-14 school year; estimated to cost $389,310 for the 2014-15 school year; and estimated to cost about $440,400 for the 2015-16 school year and beyond. Each year accounts for the addition of a new kindergarten class. Students will move through the program from kindergarten through fifth grade. The estimated costs were called a “worst-case cost scenario.”

Leonard said that while the costs are very similar to those of the Spanish Dual-Language program, the district’s dual-language program qualifies for Title I funding.

Early discussions included where the district could cut costs and what the district could charge to parents to supplement funding for the program. More than one parent who spoke indicated the parents of those in the program would be more than willing to help pick up the slack to keep the program going.

“People can give us money, really, for anything they want,” Leonard said.

Discussions regarding the future of the Chinese Immersion program can’t happen in a vacuum though, board members acknowledged.

District 220 is also facing other cuts in its 2012-13 budget, which were scheduled for discussion after the Courier-Review’s Tuesday deadline. Check www.pioneerlocal.com for updates. Discussions about the Chinese Immersion program’s future are expected at the next School Board meeting, scheduled 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at Barrington High School, 616 W. Main St.