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| Chinese program will not continue |
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4/24/2015
By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer
The axe fell on the school district’s Chinese Language Program Tuesday night as the Montgomery County Board of Education rejected a proposal to keep three teachers at the elementary schools.
No action was taken on a proposal to continue the program, which ultimately kills it.
Melody Claypoole, a district curriculum specialist, had applied and been awarded a grant that would fund a portion of the salary for seven visiting instructors—two each at the elementary schools and one for fifth grade students at Montgomery County Intermediate School.
She was seeking the board’s approval to accept the grant.
The organization College Board had been providing $13,000 toward the salary of each guest teacher with the district covering the additional salary.
Board member Sharon Smith-Breiner said the $236,000 cost of the program was too steep to keep the program.
“Right now it’s not the time to spend that kind of money,” Smith-Breiner said.
She said Spanish would be a better language for students to learn, but questioned whether it’s needed among very young students who should be focused on learning their own language first, namely grammar and spelling.
Board member Kelly Johnson questioned whether the school district might be able to obtain guest Spanish teachers to meet a foreign language component of the Unbridled Learning initiative that will phase in over the next two years.
Board member Donna Wilson fought for the program.
She asked the board to consider that it already had invested three years in the program and was fortunate to be able to offer a foreign language at such a young age.
She also noted that teachers had expressed support for the program on recent surveys.
Wilson added that the program could inspire students to participate in foreign exchange programs and could be helpful if they aspire to careers in business or math.
She said she hates to see the program end after making a financial commitment to it.
Mapleton principal Stephanie Harris asked the board to consider the impact of dropping a program that’s already in place.
She suggested the teachers be spread out through the elementaries, MCIS and McNabb Middle School to maintain continuity of the program.
“I just hate to see us start something and we never finish them,” Harris said. “We’re three years into this. There’s some financial resources going with it. I hate to see it dropped.”
Principals Larry Bailey at McNabb and Mark Crain at MCIS both asked that their schools be included in any plans for foreign language because they were not included while programs are in place at the elementaries and high school.
“I feel like our students are being left out,” Bailey said.
Crain suggested that the board consider offering an introductory class in Spanish there and continue it as students progress to higher grades, becoming somewhat fluent by the time they hit the high school.
Camargo Elementary School principal Sarah Woodford also voiced support for a Spanish program.
Wilson made a motion to continue the Chinese program with three teachers instead of seven. Board vice chair Bill Morgan seconded the motion, but it was voted down 3-2.
In other action, the board:
• Heard a proposal from Julie Tuttle, the district’s director of nutrition services, to add free meals to fifth and sixth grades students at MCIS next year.
She said the program has been successful at the elementaries and she believes the district can afford to add those grades.
She reported that the district had achieved a profit of $37,867 this past year.
That won’t prevent students paying for meals from facing a possible 10 cent per meal increase next year to meet a state mandate.
That is unless the board elects to absorb the cost, she said.
• Approved acceptance of a Bornlearning Academy Grant.
The grant will help students entering kindergarten at Mapleton and MSE and their parents in acclimating to their new schools.
Danielle Pleasant will head up the program, which includes six sessions for parents and students.
Camargo was not included because Head Start and preschool students are already placed there and should have less trouble adjusting, Woodford said.
• Heard Morgan announce that the Superintendent Screening Committee has narrowed the pool of candidates to eight.
The screening committee has further meetings scheduled and will make a recommendation to the board, which makes the ultimate decision.
• Heard from Acting Superintendent Don Pace in regard to finances. He reported that the district currently has more money going out than coming in.
The board will meet again 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, in the Montgomery County High School cafeteria. Meetings are open to the public.
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