Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 10:14 PM
https://n2v.almanacnews.com/square/print/2015/02/04/county-board-unanimously-denies-mandarin-immersion-charter-school-proposal
Town Square
County board unanimously denies Mandarin immersion charter school proposal
Original post made on Feb 5, 2015
Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 10:14 PM
Comments
Posted by Brian
a resident of Menlo Park: The Willows
on Feb 5, 2015 at 8:44 am
a resident of Menlo Park: The Willows
on Feb 5, 2015 at 8:44 am
"Carol Cunningham, who has been leading the drive for the charter school, said on Wednesday night that backers have not yet decided if they will appeal."
I would expect that they will appeal, they don't seem to mind wasting school district resources and time in an effort to get what they want. It seems to me that the majority of parents are opposed to the charter school and that there are plenty of other options for Mandarin Immersion including a program in Redwood City and may private options. Why do they need to try to force a charter school in Menlo?
Posted by Norman
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Feb 5, 2015 at 10:06 am
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Feb 5, 2015 at 10:06 am
The San Mateo County Board of Education has saved the Menlo Mandarin Immersion Charter School proponents from themselves. Everyone knows why.
Posted by Ken
a resident of Menlo Park: Menlo Oaks
on Feb 5, 2015 at 11:45 am
a resident of Menlo Park: Menlo Oaks
on Feb 5, 2015 at 11:45 am
Personally, I would love to reach out to the organizers and re-state some points,
1) there is good support for a mandarin program, immersion or not, in the district
2) Work with the MPSCD board to influence and even accelerate it broader adoption of world languages, don't keep working at odds
3) Let's all move on and work together!
Please don't waste more taxpayer time and energy on a State Board Appeal...
Posted by lmr
a resident of another community
on Feb 5, 2015 at 1:24 pm
a resident of another community
on Feb 5, 2015 at 1:24 pm
Thank you to The San Mateo County Board of Education for representing the majority of citizens.
Posted by pearl
a resident of another community
on Feb 5, 2015 at 4:20 pm
pearl is a registered user.
a resident of another community
on Feb 5, 2015 at 4:20 pm
pearl is a registered user.
If you want your kids to learn Mandarin, then send them to the Redwood City Mandarin program, or one of the other Mandarin programs in the SFBA. What is the motive of those promoting a Mandarin Immersion program for the MPCSD?
Knowing Mandarin is not a marketable skill here in the SFBA. There is no need for kids living here in the SFBA to learn Mandarin. Such a program would be a total waste of the District's time, and would take away from the teaching resources that should rightfully be used for students to give them solid math, science, reading and writing skills, as well as teaching them such simple every-day things as knowing how to write a check, how to count change, how to prepare a simple tax return, how to balance a checkbook, how to responsibly manage their credit cards, etc., etc. Those kinds of skills are what will help your kids get jobs, and get ahead in this world.
There is no need for Mandarin skills here in the SFBA/Silicon Valley!!! What are you people thinking?!? What is your motivation!?! Please tell me.
Posted by Peter
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Feb 5, 2015 at 4:25 pm
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Feb 5, 2015 at 4:25 pm
I'd like to think that this is over but I suspect these self-entitled people will continue to challenge the commonsense decision of the County Board.
Posted by SteveC
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Feb 6, 2015 at 3:28 pm
SteveC is a registered user.
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Feb 6, 2015 at 3:28 pm
SteveC is a registered user.
The elected state representatives now need to be contacted. It is time to put an end to this Charter School. Perhaps the law needs to be changed. Perhaps this Cunningham needs to be sued for the return of the money spent by the MP School District and the County Board of Education.
Posted by Enough already!
a resident of Menlo Park: The Willows
on Feb 6, 2015 at 4:36 pm
a resident of Menlo Park: The Willows
on Feb 6, 2015 at 4:36 pm
My plea to the founders (Carol Cunningham in particular) is to just stop this madness. You have a losing hand and let's move on. There wasn't any wishy-washy decisions made. They were unanimous in each decision and enough resources have been utilized in this! I would love to send MMICS an invoice for money poured into this incredibly awful idea for a charter. The "critical window" is selfishly the founders critical window based on their kids' ages.
The twisting of what a charter school should be is disgusting. It is supposed to help kids, not exclude kids that don't make the testing cut. This school is in every way trying to be a boutique elitist school on the taxpayers' dime. Just please go find another route to have your kids learn mandarin. The expense of this fight has a cost to all the other students in the MPCSD.
