Chariho committee votes to reduce French teacher position amid student pleas to preserve program

The Chariho Regional School Committee voted late in its meeting to reduce the contractual full‑time equivalent for French teacher Claire Latham from 1.0 to 0.6, a move district leaders said reflected current enrollment and scheduling constraints.

The decision followed a public hearing held as part of required pre‑nonrenewal procedure. Latham, who has taught French in the district since 2014, told the committee the timing is “a grave mistake,” arguing that state requirements and local demand should prompt the district to strengthen—rather than shrink—its world language offerings. “If Chariho recommits to offering a full French program, not only will enrollment in French begin to rise again, but Chariho students’ average SAT scores will improve as well,” Latham said.

Nut graf: The committee’s vote to reduce Latham’s position came after several parents and recent graduates described the role language study plays in college admissions and cultural exposure. Members who supported the reduction cited low course requests this year and scheduling limits that make sustaining multiple language sections difficult without broader demand.

Members of the public delivered several appeals during the meeting’s public forum. A 2024 graduate, Lucy May, described four years of French study and extracurricular programs she said were “crucial” to her education; another graduate, Virginia Keester, said language classes and cultural activities had enriched her college readiness. Parent Liam Cotton noted some colleges expect three years of the same foreign language for admissions and asked how students would meet that requirement if courses are reduced.

Superintendent Gina Picard explained the personnel recommendation as a response to current course requests and scheduling realities at the high school: staff and counselors monitor elective requests and build schedules to match demand, she said. Picard said she has advised against publicly identifying individual positions during budget discussions because such statements can make single‑teacher programs vulnerable to departures; she described the reduction as an enrollment‑driven staffing change rather than an immediate elimination of French districtwide.

During the pre‑nonrenewal procedure described by district counsel John Anderson, Latham was given the opportunity to speak to the committee before members voted. Several students who said they would be affected spoke in public forum. The committee then took a motion on the recommendation to reduce the position from a 1.0 to a 0.6 FTE.

Votes at the meeting were split. Two members voted in favor of the nonrenewal/reduction (Jessica Purcell and Diane Tefft); the remaining members present voted against the motion. The motion to reduce the position was approved.

Following the vote, several committee members encouraged advocates to create materials to promote the program and boost enrollment. Superintendent Picard said counselors and school leaders will continue to track course requests and schedule opportunities where feasible.

Ending: The reduction takes effect for the coming school year’s staffing plan; the teacher and district may pursue available options for preserving course continuity through scheduling, shared sections or virtual offerings. Community members who spoke at the meeting urged the district to seek ways to sustain world language options as the state moves toward stronger language requirements for graduation.