Catalina Foothills board hears parent outcry as administrators present proposal to gradually phase out Sunrise Drive Mandarin immersion

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…