Chariho committee votes to suspend Mandarin and French teacher contracts after budget cuts, drawing broad public protest

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 students who have already started the language to rework schedules or continue remote options that students and parents find inadequate. “Students who have already started a year of Chinese…will have to change around our schedules,” Kona said, adding that the in-person class offers cultural learning and activities online options cannot replicate.

University of Rhode Island Chinese program director Dr. Joyce Wu warned the committee that eliminating the program would remove the state’s only active public high-school Chinese pathway and damage long-term partnerships with URI’s federally funded Chinese Flagship program. “This is not only a loss for Chariho students, but also for our entire state,” Dr. Wu said.

Committee members asked for precise budget figures. Business manager Greg Zennion reported the district counted 20 students in Chinese and 38 in French and estimated roughly $280,000 would be required to retain both teacher positions for the coming year. Zennion described the district’s constrained fund balance and unbudgeted spending elsewhere, saying the money would need to come from cuts to other items or reserves.

Several committee members expressed regret about the need for cuts while noting voters already approved the budget that omitted those positions. Chair (speaker S5) said voters had weighed in during the budget process and that the committee’s vote was to implement the budgeted reductions. “The voters approved that budget, and I do not think that we can now change that item…without damaging our long-term credibility to the voters,” the chair said.

After the public comments and committee discussion, a motion to move the suspension of the teacher contracts forward was approved. The committee discussed possible next steps, including exploring cross-district or county collaborations and special meetings to consider partial solutions such as reduced FTE for continuing students, but took no immediate action to restore funding.

The committee’s vote will suspend the affected teacher contracts as described in the district’s budget action; the record shows the motion passed. The committee signaled willingness to explore alternative arrangements, but members cautioned that the district’s fund balance and other unbudgeted spending limit options. Parents and students said they plan to continue advocacy with the committee and the community.

Next steps: the committee moved the matter into committee for follow-up and discussion of possible alternatives, and members asked the business manager to provide detailed figures and possible funding sources for future consideration.