"Where Olmsted County News Comes First"

29

How will you keep your kids busy this summer vacation?

 Swimming lessons

 Park & Rec activities

 Summer camp

 Daycare


View Results

Comments(2)

Ratified by the Rochester Education Association, a new contract for teachers was unanimously approved by the board at the Rochester School Board regular meeting on Tuesday, June 5th. The new contract represents the first teacher salary schedule increase since 2008, with a 2 percent increase the first year, and a 1.5 percent increase the following year.

REA president Kit Hawkins and school district negotiator Judy McDonald agreed that the long process that resulted in 71% of members voting for the contract was highly collaborative and innovative. Kit Hawkins said, “It’s good for everybody.”

The soaring costs of health insurance premiums have contributed to the apparent lack of salary increase in recent years. The new contract seeks to control the health insurance costs, and will limit the maximum district contribution at the extant rates starting in July 2013.

Prior to the meeting, the comments from the public were like a scene from Mr. Holland’s Opus. Instead of an orchestra, though, the heartfelt demonstration was for the district’s Chinese Language Program; instead of Mr. Holland, it was for Chinese instructor Kathy Wang.

In response to a correspondence sent out to families with students currently in Chinese courses that said the program may be in jeopardy for the 2012-2013 school year, the Edison board room filled to standing room only. Eight community members delivered speeches celebrating the under-appreciated efforts of Wang, pleading the case that her job be saved.

Anne Gary said, “Mrs. Wang is the Chinese language program.”

In December of 2009, the University of Minnesota’s Confucius Institute announced that it would allocate $500,000 to twelve Minnesota school districts to fund Chinese language teachers, textbooks, and cultural language opportunities. Rochester Public Schools received a grant for a five year term.

Wang, who helped to secure the Confucius grant, was hired to teach Chinese at Mayo High School, John Marshall High School, and Century High School. Since then, Wang has been the only Chinese teacher for the district and commutes between the three high school campuses, as well as Rochester Community Technical College. Due to issues regarding licensure, it seems Wang may not be asked to return.

The prospect of Chinese classes without Wang greatly upset the students present at the meeting.

One student mentioned she was adopted from China at the age of ten months. Six years ago, she returned to visit China, but she was unable to communicate with her family because she did not speak the language. She enrolled in the Chinese Language Program with this at heart.

She said, “I am grateful to be part of a school district that has a mission statement encouraging students to be global citizens. Mrs. Wang has been an excellent teacher. She has not only taught us the language, but she has also helped us learn about the Chinese culture. She has helped us to become more global citizens.”

A student from John Marshall concurred, “My Chinese teacher is over-qualified for this position, and she doesn’t need a license to say so. She is a native speaker, and the only native speaker out of the other language teachers at my school…My Chinese teacher is almost like my Chinese aunt, in a way. She has turned Chinese into my favorite class, and I just love going there and learning about different words—like ‘eggplant’.”

Several other students and parents emphasized to the board the importance they see in preserving the Chinese Language Program because of China’s rise as a global power. Students spoke of aspirations to work for American companies doing business with China. One parent said, “I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful it is to offer students the chance to expand their cultural horizons especially in Asia where it is clear that cultural understandings and connections will be of paramount importance.”

Community member Erin Nystrom said that the district would send an inconsistent message to stakeholders if it cancelled the Chinese Language program, “Having had and then nearly loosing the Chinese language option in our public schools signifies a lack of focus on what’s best for our students.”

After the public had spoken, Superintendent Muñoz offered a few words of reassurance to those who feared the program would be discontinued, “I would just like to announce that we will have Chinese next year. In the past, we’ve had to request a waiver from the Department of Education for a teacher who is not certified. It is a law that is put down on us from the state, it is not something that we as a district have come up with. It has been brought to our attention that we have two potential candidates who are certified for the position.”

Regardless of whether or not Wang shall return to Rochester Public Schools, she is one of few teachers for whom an entire public assembly has stood and raised their hands to support.

“I am really proud of the program that I established over the past four years and I have a lot of students’ and parents’ support of the program,” said Wang.