Grant would fund Chinese language classes
INDIANA–The Indiana Area School District may soon offer a Chinese language course if a grant is approved.
At Monday evening’s special meeting, the board voted to apply for a grant through the College Board’s Chinese Guest Teacher program.
If approved, the grant will provide the district at least two years of Chinese language instruction with the potential for a one-year extension. “It’s going to give us an opportunity for a cultural exchange. We’ll get to see whether or not our students are interested in taking an Oriental language, and it will be at a much reduced cost,” school board Vice President Walter Schroth said.
Without the grant program, there were concerns that a Chinese language course was going to be left out of the district’s 2007-08 academic offerings, because of budget shortfalls.
Still, due to increased financing costs across the board, board member Cynthia Hatcher was concerned about long-range planning and that the district might be forced to discontinue the program after the grant money runs out.
“Don’t get me wrong, I think the addition of a Chinese language course is a great step. But are we going to have the finances to bring on a full-time teacher to carry on what we started because we had a grant opportunity for two years?” Hatcher said. “I believe it’s a worthy program, but can we still incorporate this after two years?”
But Nancy Schrecongost maintained that the board will find a way to keep the program if the interest is there. “This board has maintained the position that we will find a way to pay for all programs,” she said. “We’re not looking to cut programs, we’re looking to add and enhance.”
Board member William Balint noted that top school districts in the state need to create and enhance advance placement, dual enrollment, and foreign language courses.
“There is no question that we placed upon ourselves the title of the premier school district of Pennsylvania,” Balint said. “But if we’re even going to pretend that we’re the premier district in the state, we have to add language courses.”
