The Catalina Foothills Unified School District governing board on Sept. 30 held a first reading of a staff recommendation to gradually phase out the Mandarin Chinese immersion program at Sunrise Drive Elementary, prompting extended public comment and questions from board members.
Dr. Denise Bartlett, introduced in the meeting as a district administrator, told the board the proposal responds to sustained enrollment declines and staffing costs that make the original 50/50 immersion model difficult to sustain. "We began this program in 2013–14," Bartlett said. "It was designed for approximately 300 students, K‑5, with 2 teachers per grade level." Bartlett described a peak of about 205 students in 2018–19 and reported the current enrollment at Sunrise Drive’s immersion program as 105 students, or 21.9% of the school’s population.
The recommendation presented by staff would not enroll a kindergarten class next year; instead, officials described a phased winding down that would allow students currently in the program to complete elementary grades through a final fifth‑grade cohort. Bartlett emphasized the district’s intent to avoid an immediate shutdown and to honor existing students and staff while staff return to the board with additional detail.
Parents, teachers and community members urged the board to reconsider or delay the decision and proposed several alternatives. "We ask for collaboration to give us an opportunity to delay the phase out plan and to allow this opportunity for Sunrise to continue the Mandarin immersion program," said Farishta Cubillo, identified in public comment as a Sunrise Drive parent. Other parents raised questions about enrollment impacts, open enrollment, and FFO and community support tied to the program. "How many open enrollment families will be lost from Sunrise Drive with the closure of the Mandarin immersion program?" asked Nancy Chen, a parent who said her family open enrolled into Sunrise Drive for Mandarin immersion.
Speakers pointed to recent recruitment and local gains: multiple commenters noted kindergarten enrollment rose from 17 to 23 year‑over‑year at Sunrise Drive and the total immersion program showed a roughly 10% increase from 91 to 100 students in the most recent period. "The encouraging news really takes place in the Chinese immersion program that the enrollment number for the kindergarten increased from 17 last year to 23 this year," said Na Zhu, who identified herself as a Sunrise Drive parent.
Academic and economic arguments were also raised. Peter Janssen, who identified himself as having a Ph.D. in language learning, said bilingual programs produce measurable academic benefits and warned of longer‑term economic impacts. "As you consider getting rid of it, consider that there's a lot of people that will no longer be drawn to the Tucson economy," Janssen said, noting research and community partnerships that he said the district and region have built around Chinese language instruction.
Administrators described multiple efforts over several years to sustain and recruit for the program: creative scheduling, extended learning opportunities, social media and video outreach, partnerships with the University of Arizona and summer camps, plus targeted grants and visiting scholar programming. Bartlett and Cheryl Castro, executive director of curriculum and assessment, said Valley View Elementary’s smaller Mandarin feeder program had previously been discontinued for financial reasons — Valley View’s figures cited in the presentation ranged from about 12 to 19 students in recent years — and that loss removed an important pipeline.
Board members pressed staff for details and asked for follow‑up information before taking any action. Key items the board requested for the next meeting included: district financial analysis showing the program’s incremental cost and FTE impact; a breakdown of how many immersion students are in‑district versus open‑enrolled; and an analysis of whether a standalone Mandarin world‑language class (a district world‑language model rather than a partial‑immersion model) at Sunrise could be feasible logistically and financially. "We can have that discussion," Dr. Bartlett said when asked whether staff could return with a scenario for a standalone Mandarin class.
Board President pro tem Eileen Jackson framed the discussion as a first reading and stressed the board’s responsibility to weigh community input alongside budget and staffing constraints. "This is a proposal," Jackson said, urging a measured, fact‑based review and follow up at the next meeting. No final action was taken; staff said they would return with the requested analyses at the next regular meeting.
What the district presented
- Program origin and model: Began 2013–14 as a 50/50 partial immersion model aimed at roughly 300 K–5 students (two teachers per grade to enable 25 students per class per teacher).
- Enrollment trends: Peak ~205 students (2018–19); current program enrollment reported at 105 students (current school year). Valley View feeder program previously had small cohorts (12–19 students) and was discontinued.
- Staffing and cost: Staff said the largest recurring cost is additional teacher FTE and related salary/benefit costs; administrators reported roughly 3.5 additional FTE allocated to Sunrise’s immersion program and cited roughly $80,000+ per teacher in total compensation as a planning figure.
Public reaction
Parents and community members stressed the program’s cultural and academic value and warned of enrollment, financial and community impacts if it were cut. Many asked the board to delay any final decision and work with the community on recruitment and alternative staffing models. Several speakers referred to recent enrollment upticks in kindergarten and asked for time to let recruitment efforts continue.
Next steps
Staff will return to the board with: detailed financial analyses of staffing and per‑student costs; counts of open‑enrolled and in‑district immersion students; and an analysis of whether a non‑immersion, standalone Mandarin world‑language course could be scheduled and funded at Sunrise. The board scheduled a follow up discussion at its next meeting; no vote on program elimination occurred at the Sept. 30 meeting.
The district emphasized that the values of global awareness and cultural competency will remain a stated priority for the district even if the immersion program is phased out.