Dist. 220 parents lobby to keep Chinese program without grant

Passionate parents lobbied Barrington Unit District 220 board members Tuesday to continue a Chinese language immersion program after learning most of a $1.5 million federal grant expected to provide funding for another four years was being pulled by Congress.

Board members promised to look for ways to make that possible while cautioning that the popular program serving about 100 students was only one of many pressures on a budget already burdened by many unknowns.

Barrington Village Trustee Robert Windon was among the parents who offered their time to work with school administrators to brainstorm a solution to the funding gap.

“We have a passion for this program that you, quite frankly, aren't going to have,” Windon said. “If we lose this program, it isn't coming back.”

Though only in its first year, the program was presented as a way of immersing students in Chinese from the earliest grade levels. Those that would choose to were promised the opportunity of continuing the program through high school and even beyond at the University of Illinois.

But district officials learned late last week the grant would be gone after the $300,000 allocated for this year was spent.

The estimated cost for this year was only $170,000 and some money can be rolled over into next year.

But as another grade level would be added each year, the program's fifth year was projected to cost as much as $400,400.

Superintendent Tom Leonard said one of the main costs would come from busing students from around the district to the particular schools where the elective program would be based.

The district would still have to pay the same number of teachers to teach the same number of students, with or without the program, he said.

Board member Richard Burkhart suggested the possibility of reactivating the now vacant Woodland School in Carpentersville as a central location to cut down on busing costs for the Chinese program and other special programs now stretching attendance at some neighborhood schools.

The board will resume the discussion at its Feb. 21 meeting.