Parents, students and ICIA urge IUSD board to allow Mandarin immersion through eighth grade
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Summary
At a public hearing, Irvine Chinese Immersion Academy presented test-score evidence and a staged plan to add grades 6–8; students and dozens of parents urged approval, while board members pressed presenters on facilities, staffing, special‑education services and student‑body diversity. The board did not vote tonight.
Irvine Chinese Immersion Academy asked the Irvine Unified School District board to approve a material revision to its charter so the school can add middle‑school grades and keep its current students through eighth grade.
"We believe bilingualism is a superpower," said Dr. Benson Kwok, ICIA's executive director and principal, in a presentation that cited strong assessment results and a step‑by‑step growth plan. He told the board the expansion would begin with the current fifth‑grade cohort moving into a single sixth‑grade class in 2026–27, with seventh and eighth grades added in subsequent years.
Supporters filled the meeting chamber and dozens of speakers urged the board to approve the proposal. "Learning Mandarin has changed my life," said fifth‑grader Mia Kosaka. Dr. Brooke Buie, an academic administrator, told trustees bilingual fluency "really prepares you" for workforce and civic opportunities. Parent Linda Tang urged the board to "commit to the easiest yes," calling the expansion "very near and dear to my heart."
ICIA said its model currently phases Mandarin instruction from roughly 90% in early grades down to about 50/50 by fifth grade; at middle school the school plans to offer advanced Mandarin as an elective while also exploring bilingual content classes (for example bilingual math or science) depending on staffing and credential availability. The school said it will use small class sizes (two sections of about 20 students for the initial sixth‑grade cohort) and regrouping to provide interventions and enrichment.
Board members focused questions on facilities and safety, staffing and recruitment, special‑education compliance, and student‑body diversity. A neighbor cautioned that the Westwood campus "is not set up" for heavy drop‑off and pickup traffic and expressed concern about emergency access. Trustees also asked how ICIA would ensure equitable access given current enrollment demographics and a waiting list that exceeds 200.
Kwok said ICIA is exploring short‑term leased classrooms, partnering with nearby Sierra Vista Middle School for shared resources, and pursuing commercial properties or other long‑term options. On special education, ICIA said it partners with a charter SELPA (El Dorado Charter School SELPA) and recently hired a special‑education director to coordinate compliance.
The board did not take a final vote on the charter revision tonight. Trustees indicated they want additional detail about the proposed middle‑school schedule, staffing plans and facility arrangements before making a decision at a future meeting.
What happens next: the board will review follow‑up materials and schedule the item for decision at a subsequent public meeting. The public hearing record will remain part of that decision packet.
