Cheshire Students Locked Out of Italian, Chinese Classes

Some tough news has come for Cheshire students looking to expand on their foreign language skills: they will need to look outside the district for any assistance in learning Italian or Chinese in 2013-14.

Members of the Cheshire Board of Education last year introduced a potential new curriculum that would include the introduction courses of the two languages as part of an effort to expand on what the district already provides.

The goal, in part, was to allow for global learning that could provide students with the skills they need well beyond the borders of Cheshire.

The announcement comes after the Cheshire Town Council last week made final adjustments to the 2013-14 fiscal year for both general government and the Board of Education in an effort to reduce costs to the taxpayer.

With a growing number of needs and reduction in state funding, Artur Branco told the Cheshire Citizen last week that while he is disappointed, he understands that it is all part of the budget process.

“Obviously, being the chair for the department, I would like to see as many languages as possible,” Branco, world language team leader for Dodd Middle School and Cheshire High School said in the Cheshire Citizen article. “But I am realistic. We can’t always get what we want.”

Scott Detrick, assistant superintendent for instruction in Cheshire, said the biggest issue in trying to implement the changes is that the upcoming budget does not provide enough flexibility for a shift in staffing or new hires.

Some students will still have the opportunity to take Italian courses online, but those opportunities are limited.

Would you have been willing to see taxes go up to implement new world language courses? Was the right decision made in cutting the programs from the 2013-14 budget? Let us know if the comments section below.

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