District 220 ponders Chinese program funds

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Updated: March 24, 2012 8:57AM

Local parents had the chance to air some specific grievances at Barrington Unit School District 220’s Regular Board Meeting Tuesday night, regarding Congress’ recent decision to cease funding for the

district’s popular Chinese Immersion program.

Parents were notified in a press release sent from Superintendent Tom Leonard Feb. 6 that the federal government would cut the remainder of the program’s $1.5 million grant. About 100

community members filled Barrington High School’s cafeteria Feb. 21 to discuss ways in which the program could be preserved without the federal aid.

Chief Communications Officer Jeff Arnett explained that shortfalls within Congress’ budget had lead its members to ultimately decide the program was non-essential in
comparison to their other commitments.

Although district officials received official notice of the cut earlier last month, they had been suspecting the possibility since November 2011.

“There was some indication in November and December that it could be headed in that direction, so there were also significant efforts by the district to lobby for the continuation of the funding,” Arnett

said. “After the first of the year, we were informed that they would indeed remove the funding for the remainder of the commitment—which is 3 years.”

Officials have to determine the plausibility of the program’s continuation by next month because mid-March will mark the deadline for which the board can lay-off associated teachers.

While the cut will not affect the program finishing through to the end of the current school year, it is placing tremendous public pressure on the board to make the spending cuts it hadn’t anticipated to

deliberate until after receiving the grant’s remaining $900,000.

Chris Low, who also has a kindergartener at Barbara Rose Elementary School, disagreed that the district board would need to change its budget spending in order to maintain the program.

“The board is running a surplus, so there is no reason they would have to make cuts—that would be totally up to the board to make that decision,” Low said.

Also upsetting parents was the idea that changes made to the Chinese Immersion program would be paralleled by district’s Spanish Dual Language program.

The latter program has been in place for nearly

eight years, but both of the programs’ curriculums were developed to be complementary; thus, change to one requires change to the other.

Parents fear losing the Chinese Immersion curriculum because it is a program developed to teach kindergarten and elementary school students Chinese. The program currently has teachers teaching the

students’ morning classes in English, and their afternoon classes in Chinese . Officials planned for the language skills learned from the program to transfer well into high school and

into college.

“Every year China expects around 8 percent gross domestic product growth, and the United States expects around 2 percent,” said Grace Chao, mother of a Barbara Rose Elementary School kindergartener. “This is a program that will really open doors for Americans to compete in the future.”

Barrington Village Trustee Robert Windon also attended the district’s meeting to encourage the board forward with the initiative they took when first deciding to implement the Chinese Immersion program within the schools.

So far, Windon and similarly concerned district parents have discussed possible budget cuts and revenue sources with Leonard for consideration.