Redwood City Mandarin program faces uncertainties

First started in 2014, the Mandarin Immersion Program at Orion Alternative Elementary School has offered Mandarin and English-speaking children in kindergarten to eighth grade the opportunity to become bilingual through a dual learning program.

Since its inception, the program has partly relied on interdistrict transfers to help fill its seats.

But a change in the district’s funding model — from being largely funded through the state to now mostly by local property tax revenue — led the board to end the district’s acceptance of out-of-district students given that it would no longer receive state funding to cover their education.

Trustees did agree to permit inter-district students already enrolled in the school system to remain but, before that decision was made, parents of students in the immersion program and North Star Academy implored the district to continue accepting outside students altogether to ensure families remained at the same school sites.

Unsuccessful at the time, the Mandarin Immersion parent group returned to the board Wednesday requesting they extend acceptances to nine siblings of current interdistrict transfer students and to allow interdistrict transfers to fill seats not filled by district students to balance out dips in enrollment.

“Denying these nine students would mean to lose these families who are an integral part of our community,” Pauline Wang said, a mother of two children in the program.

Additionally, they asked for the district to expand the program by adding a third kindergarten class which would be filled in part by transfer students who would help fill seats in higher grades where student loss is more prevalent. Doing so would help keep the program functioning adequately for all students, the group argued after noting the challenges they’ve faced finding students who are proficient enough to succeed in the program.

The district has been challenged by a dip in enrollment across its campuses which forced it to close four campuses and consolidate students. Wang argued that by accepting the students, the district would better balance student loss in higher grade levels, keeping the program alive.

Their final ask was for the board to provide additional financial support to the program which would help cover initiatives like after-school tutoring for students who have struggled to thrive in the program, especially during the pandemic.

With resources limited, the parents said they have been shamed in the past for asking for support which they argue is linked to myths that Asian families are well off and students are high achievers. Parents have provided weekend tutoring to fill in the gap but the program has still lost students, Feng said, noting competitive recruiting is also a concern for the young program.

“The things that have been said to me have really blown my mind over the past couple of years. What is true is we have all types of families,” Meghan O’Reilly-Green, a member of the parent group, said.

While sharing their sympathies with the parents’ concerns and expressing appreciation for the program, trustees raised concerns for meeting the asks.

Trustee Mike Wells said he was unclear about the financial implications of accepting the students. The group estimates that accepting the students would cost the district about $2,700 to $9,000 a year while Superintendent John Baker said the district spends about $18,000 per student.

And board President Alisa MacAvoy shared her concerns that the board would be asked to make additional exceptions for other siblings of inter-district students which could raise the number from nine to nearly 180 students and substantially increase costs to the district.

“I totally get the equity conversion and the specific needs for the Mandarin Program,” MacAvoy said. “It’s bigger than that when you start looking at precedent.”

Trustee Janet Lawson also questioned whether the school campus could house another kindergarten class given that all classrooms are currently in use and will continue to be after the redevelopment of the school is complete.

Initially, the district intended on building four extra classrooms at the school but Measure T bond fund limitations forced the district to remove plans for the expansion, Baker said.

No action was taken during the meeting but the board requested additional information be brought to them at a later date addressing their concerns of how the change could affect the district.

MacAvoy said the board’s new president — anticipated to be Trustee Maria Diaz-Slocum — will decide when to schedule the board’s next discussion on the issue.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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