Board approves program-choice changes that discontinue Roberta Road middle-school Mandarin continuation amid low enrollment

The Cabarrus County Board of Education voted June 8 to implement program-choice changes that will discontinue the rising sixth-grade continuation of the Mandarin dual-language immersion program at Roberta Road Middle School beginning in the 2027–28 school year.

District staff told the board the recommendation reflects sustained declines in community interest and application data: interest among incoming kindergarten families dropped from 64 in 2019–20 to 25 in 2025–26. Program-choice staff said the district aims for a minimum enrollment threshold (about 50 students) to sustain a middle-school immersion program without creating inefficient staffing or added local cost. Staff also cited increasing difficulty hiring Mandarin teachers through J-1 visa processes and middle-school scheduling constraints that make it hard to provide comprehensive immersion courses when class sizes are small.

"We want to honor the quality and efficacy of the program," Allison Whitaker, director of program choice, said, "but with such limited numbers we truly can't provide the comprehensive immersion experience that we want to provide for our families, which is why we are making this programmatic recommendation for the 2027–2028 school year." (Allison Whitaker, director of program choice)

Board members and parents discussed options for families currently enrolled. District leaders said the recommendation would not take effect for the current rising sixth graders — staff will honor their upcoming transition — but that the district could not guarantee a middle-school immersion seat for younger cohorts if the board’s vote stood.

Staff described alternatives for families who want students to continue Mandarin study: private tutoring, the state’s credit-by-demonstrated-mastery pathway to earn high-school language credit, or potential virtual course offerings — each of which would require additional fiscal or programmatic resources. Dr. Williams, an HR and scheduling lead, warned that small enrollment creates scheduling and instructional challenges at the middle-school level and that overseas teachers licensed for immersion programs may be placed in positions they have not taught before when caseloads are small.

Parents at the meeting urged the board to preserve the pathway. "This program is setting our children up for success in a way that is unique and extremely valuable," parent Casey Burke said, noting higher test scores among immersion students and asking the board to consider feeder alignment and further recruitment rather than elimination. Other speakers said COVID-era enrollment disruptions and transportation barriers to hub middle-school sites contributed to the drop in middle-school applicants.

The motion to accept the program-choice recommendations was made by Sam Treadaway and seconded; the board approved the recommendation with one member recorded as opposed.

What happens next: Staff said they will (a) continue recruitment and marketing work this fall, (b) post updated program materials and transition plans for families already enrolled, and (c) explore alternative delivery models (credit-by-demonstrated-mastery and virtual options) subject to available funding and board direction. The programmatic change, if unchanged, will be implemented for recruitment and seat offers that begin during the 2027–28 program-choice cycle.