District 220 still discussing Mandarin

Barrington Unit District 220 continued to discuss whether to start a program to teach Mandarin Chinese in its elementary schools Tuesday, committing to a presentation with more details at its next board meeting.

The school district has been considering the issue for some time. Driving the discussion is a five-year, $1.5 million federal grant District 220 can have to expand its Mandarin instruction, which is starting its second year in the middle and high schools. The grant, however, does not cover transportation for what would be a districtwide program, officials said.

Some board members were concerned that redistricting might be necessary if half an existing elementary school is ultimately devoted to this program, and what the public's response to that would be.

Unlike a dual language program, which is divided almost equally between native speakers of both languages, the District 220 program doesn't necessarily expect to start with any native speakers of Mandarin.

“It's definitely something we should still consider, superintendent Tom Leonard said Tuesday.

A detailed presentation on the matter is set for the Oct. 19 board meeting.