Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Chariho committee votes to suspend Mandarin and French teacher contracts after budget cuts, drawing broad public protest
Summary
Facing budget constraints and low enrollment, the Chariho School Committee voted to suspend contracts for Mandarin and French teachers; dozens of students, parents and outside experts urged the committee to restore the programs during an extended public comment period.
The Chariho School Committee voted on May 20 to suspend teacher contracts tied to the district’s Mandarin and French programs, citing budget shortfalls and low enrollments, after nearly three hours of public comment urging the district to keep the classes.
The decision follows the district’s removal of the two language programs from the preliminary budget. During public comment, Mandarin teacher Minli Lasher, who identified herself as the district’s Mandarin teacher, described six years of program-building that included community events, a Dragon Parade and trips that connected students with native speakers. “Language is more than vocabulary and grammar,” Lasher said. “It is a bridge between cultures, people, and perspectives.”
Dozens of students and parents testified against the cuts. Cherry Hill High sophomore Jester Kona said losing Mandarin would force…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
