Montville board keeps Mandarin program after public protests, pledges outreach and new courses

The Montville Township Board of Education announced it will keep the district’s Mandarin language program after hearing extensive public comment from students, parents and residents and after district leaders described steps to promote and expand enrollment.

The board’s decision followed testimony from students and community members who said the Mandarin program supports cultural programming, college competitiveness and local demographic needs. "We're happy that Mandarin's sticking around and we're hoping that students are going to be signing up for the class," the board said in response to public remarks.

Why it matters: Montville’s Mandarin program was slated for removal because of low enrollment, prompting dozens of parents, students and community members to urge the board to reverse the decision. The program’s supporters argued the language offers cultural and academic value that benefits both native Mandarin speakers and other students, and several speakers proposed concrete steps to increase participation.

Students, parents and a data analyst presented enrollment and program arguments during the board’s second public comment period. Sipio Hahn, a senior at Montville Township High School, described long-term academic and cultural benefits he derived from the program and urged the board to address the “root cause” of declining enrollment rather than eliminate the curriculum. "I think something important is to reflect and understand what the root cause of the problem was and to target the root cause," Hahn said.

Cynthia Veil, president of the school’s Chinese Honor Society, told the board that Mandarin is one of the world’s most spoken languages and that rigorous language study can strengthen college applications. "Mandarin is the most spoken language in the world," Cynthia said.

Resident Lu Han, who identified herself as a data analyst, presented demographic context and said the district’s share of Asian students is substantial: “We have about almost 20% Asian and 1 out of 8 is Chinese,” she told the board, and said Montville’s enrollment ratio for Mandarin is comparable to other districts that maintain such programs.

What the board said it will do: Board leadership described a plan to keep the program and help it grow over the coming years rather than eliminate it immediately. The board said it will treat Mandarin as an active elective and support promotion and recruitment efforts at younger grades.

Specific curricular steps cited by students and supporters include: - New course proposals: students and program advocates described two planned offerings — "Chinese culture and the arts," taught in English for students without prior Mandarin study, and a "Chinese business" program aimed at grades 10–12. The business course was described as planned for five credits and intended to address financial-literacy or career-readiness requirements while reinforcing Mandarin study. - Outreach to middle and elementary grades: students urged short promotional videos and in-school presentations to 6th graders and earlier to boost long-term enrollment in world-language sequences. - Options for advanced students: proponents requested independent-study or higher-level options for students already fluent in Mandarin so the program can serve both heritage speakers and students seeking deeper study.

Board staff and the superintendent explained how staffing and budget decisions are made: hiring and course offerings are determined during the district budgeting cycle and depend on student demand and state and special-education requirements. The superintendent told the board that budgeting for the next school year begins in January and continues through April, when budget hearings occur.

Board response and next steps: The board said it will monitor enrollment and work with school staff to promote the Mandarin program, including outreach to middle-school students and consideration of the new courses supporters proposed. The board also indicated it will stay in communication with the community about further decisions on Mandarin.

The public reaction at the meeting included petitions, student performances and offers to share data analyses comparing Montville’s Mandarin enrollments to other districts. Several speakers asked the board to provide clearer communication on enrollment thresholds and decision criteria going forward.

Board members did not adopt a formal, binding ordinance at the meeting to create new Mandarin courses; they announced the program will remain and outlined promotional and curricular steps to be considered during the upcoming budget and course-approval process.

The board closed the public-participation session after several community presentations and moved on to other business.