District should maintain German program

The phase-out of the Maine South German Program (in existence since 1964) by the District 207 school board in Park Ridge was done secretively without input from the community or notification of parents.

Hundreds of letters, emails and calls asking to maintain the program sent to administration and the school board received little response.

One parent’s FOIA request received only heavily redacted information on the changes to the program. There was no community interest survey completed. Existing German program families were not consulted. This action following the closure of Maine East's and West’s German programs shows a coordinated D207 plan.

Concerned parents spoke at the May and June school board meetings suggesting options for keeping the program alive. Dual credit could be offered with either Oakton or Harper College with Maine South as a hub offering German for all three Maine schools.

Only administration replied, no one received an answer from any of the elected school board officials. Voters should know: elected school board members didn’t respond.

There are several language schools that feed into the Maine South German program, and strong German heritage in the area. As you have seen, there’s interest in preserving the German program. German is the main language of engineering and business. Germany is a top Illinois trading partner. With 250+ German companies in the Chicago area, learning German gives students a competitive edge in the job market. Eliminating German would make Maine South less competitive in the global market.

I strongly urge the district to consider collaboration with local colleges and German schools to seek ways to continue the program.

Victoria Wilson, Park Ridge