By Scott Brinton
The one no vote came from Trustee Lou Kruh, who has been a longtime proponent of starting a foreign-language program. But Kruh would prefer that the district start the program with the first grade rather than the sixth.
Kruh said that starting with the first grade would demonstrate the district's commitment to a full-fledged foreign language program. The reason: If the district began with first grade, it would then have to offer a language in each successive grade thereafter through sixth grade. By starting with sixth grade, the district maintains the option to stop offering it to the lower grades at any point. Hypothetically speaking, it could offer it to, say, grades four through six only, or even to grade six only.
Kruh believes foreign language should begin when children enter school. "Do you want a foreign-language program or something you call a foreign-language program?" he asked his fellow Board of Education trustees.
Susan Schwartz, the board president, noted that the district was being conservative. "I think we're taking very cautious steps in starting it," she said.
Dr. Ranier Melucci, the district superintendent, said he could not predict whether the district would, in the future, have adequate funds to support a foreign-language program that spanned grades one through six. He noted that in any given year, the state could dramatically decrease Merrick's state education aid package, in which case it might be unable to expand the program that year.
Kruh wondered what Melucci considered the ideal foreign-language program to be. The superintendent suggested two to three periods of foreign-language instruction per week in grades one through six. But realistically, he said, the district is only ready for a sixth-grade program for now .
The superintendent said the district would evaluate the program after a year, and if the feedback from students, teachers and parents was positive, the district would consider expanding the program. Next year, Melucci said, "we hope that we'll be talking about expanding it to the fifth and fourth grades."
Parent Linda Tack said she supports foreign language in the elementary schools. "I would love to know that my kid was going into seventh grade [already] exposed to foreign language," she said. But Tack also noted, "You've got to take small steps."
If the new program passes a final vote by the Board of Education in April and the public budget vote in May, all sixth-graders will receive one period of Spanish instruction per week in 2006-07. The program's first year would be funded largely by a $50,000 legislative grant from state Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., a Republican of Merrick, so it would cost local taxpayers virtually nothing next year.
Comments about this story? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.
