Save the Italian Language Program at B'game Intermediate School

Thank you for your continued support to save the BIS Italian Program. Here is a quick update:

On June 8th the BSD Board met and 10 members from the public spoke in support of the Italian Elective. The points raised covered the value of the program to our community, its ‘undersubscribed’ assessment was challenged, and a creative solution was suggested to hire a dual-language instructor to teach Italian and Spanish. We also asked the Board for an opportunity to establish a dialogue to creatively and collaboratively problem-solve around what levers could be pulled to reinstate this long-standing program and to ensure we can transition the current students.

This approach was based on the following facts: BSD voted to reduce 1 world language teacher at BIS, thus reducing access to any worldwide language for 100+ students, and BIS, knowing that the current Italian and Spanish teachers were leaving, decided to prioritize Spanish language classes and discontinue Italian.

What's next?

To date, we have not yet been able to have a productive dialogue with the Trustees on the above outlined asks and are encouraged to see that San Mateo Daily Journal covered this topic within the context of broader BSD budget discussions in today’s article ‘School Budget Sparks Concern in Burlingame.’
As a next step, we invite you to contact your BSD Board Trustees. Ask them to reinstate the elective, and to engage in collaborative dialogue with the community. The Board made a decision without taking into consideration the World Languages program accessibility.
Please write the following individuals:

• President: Elizabeth Kendall ekendall@burlingameschools.org
• Vice President: Florence Wong fwong@burlingameschools.org
• Clerk: Kate Reed kreed@burlingameschools.org
• Trustee: Deepak Sarpangal dsarpangal@burlingameschools.org
• Trustee: Lisa Mudd lmudd@burlingameschools.org
• Superintendent: Chris Mount Benites cmountbenites@burlingameschools.org

Sample letter could be (please adapt as you see fit):

Dear _____:

I’d like to ask you and the Board to reinstate the Italian Elective at BIS. As evidenced by the outpouring of community support at the recent meeting and via digital channels, this long-standing program, partially supported by the Italian Consulate, is a highly valued impactful educational offering at BIS.

There are financial and hiring resources available to explore and we’d like to understand what would be required for BSD to reopen this program. A cost-neutral solution to hire a dual language teacher is also an option.

I request that the BSD Board engages with our community on this important topic in a timely manner to ensure that it can be addressed leading up to the 2021/2 academic year at BIS.

Kind regards,
[your name]