Parents and students protest proposed reduction to Mandarin; district cites low enrollment and offers transition support

Dozens of parents and students addressed the Westwood School Committee on Jan. 16 after students were told in class that Mandarin could be cut from next year’s high school offerings. Several speakers said the district had not communicated with families before the classroom announcement.

Stacy Theofilo, who identified herself as a parent of a Westwood senior and a sophomore in Mandarin, said: “If Westwood doesn't offer her a Mandarin program next year, she's then going to be a junior in Spanish 1. You have just killed her entire competitiveness in her college application process.” Multiple parents echoed the same concern: they said continuity in a single language across years matters for college admissions and for students’ progress toward proficiency.

Administration response

Superintendent Tim and staff said the district has historically struggled to sustain Mandarin enrollment; Tim said the current year has only nine students enrolled in Mandarin 1. He described the district’s world‑language curriculum review recommendations — which include considering earlier introduction of Mandarin in the middle school — and called the current step a “strategic retreat and regroup.”

Tim said the budget retains a 0.2 FTE allocation to support students currently enrolled in Mandarin through a combination of in‑person or virtual options and that a message would be sent to families the following day describing next steps and meetings. He noted that Mandarin 4 has had no enrollments in the last two years.

Public comments and community impact

Parents, students and other residents framed Mandarin as a distinctive program that contributes to Westwood’s competitiveness among neighboring districts. Bill Theophilo said: “Mandarin is what's relevant in 2025” and argued that removing the offering would affect the town’s academic profile. Parents requested either keeping Mandarin staffed or, if it must be reduced, providing a clear, non‑disruptive pathway for students currently enrolled so they could complete multi‑year language sequences.

What the administration proposed and next steps

Tim said options under consideration include maintaining a smaller staffing allocation (for example a 0.2 FTE) and using virtual classes or collaborative providers for low‑enrollment sections, as well as shifting Mandarin instruction into middle school in future years per the curriculum review. The administration committed to sending families an explanatory message and convening follow‑up meetings. The committee did not take a final vote to eliminate Mandarin on Jan. 16.

Ending

The discussion closed with the administration agreeing to provide information to affected students and families and to explore reduced staffing plus virtual or collaborative alternatives while pursuing longer‑term middle‑school language options.