Tara Levin and her family moved to Blue Valley nearly a decade ago just for a chance to register her daughter into the district’s Chinese Immersion Program — she got in and the family made a 13-year commitment to the program.

Now, with six years left for the Levins, the program is set to end. The Blue Valley School District announced the program’s closure Wednesday, which came as a surprise for many families. 

“[My daughter and her peers in the program have] spent four hours every day for their entire seven years of their education learning Chinese,” Levin said. “Their entire cultural experience in school is tied to this Chinese Immersion Program. They became part of a family and a community that are tied in very different ways than taking a Spanish class for one hour during your high school years. This is built into everything they know and who they are.

“It’s part of their identity,” she added.

When do changes take place?

Starting next fall, Chinese will only be offered at the high school level — if the classes have enough students enrolled in them.

“As we continue to navigate significant budget challenges, including declining enrollment and the continued underfunding of special education, we are having to make difficult decisions about the programs and services we can sustain,” Chief Academic Officer Kelly June said in an email to families last week.

The immersion program and Chinese language courses currently offered at the elementary and middle school levels will no longer be available after this year. Students in the program may choose to remain in their current schools or move back to their home schools.

“We understand that this is more than a change in course offerings,” June added. “It represents a significant change to an educational experience your family intentionally chose for your child, and we do not take that impact lightly.”

The Post reached out to the school district with additional questions, including how many students are enrolled in the program and how much it costs. We’ll update the story when we hear back.

“People have made a lot of sacrifices”

Levin made a commitment to keep her daughter, now in sixth grade, in the program seven years ago. For her, this change feels like a breach of trust.

“Each parent had to pledge that they would keep their kid in this program from kindergarten through 12th grade,” Levin said. “People have made a lot of sacrifices — turned down jobs and stayed in the district specifically to make sure we honored that commitment.”

Parent Melissa Houghton, whose first grader is in his second year of the program, said they moved from Austin, Texas, just to be in this program. Her father bought them a house.

“My dad just passed away, eight months ago,” Houghton said. “[The house] was like his final gift to my son, his grandson. It means a lot. I’ve centered my life around this program because I’ve taught other people English in foreign countries, I’ve traveled a lot in my life and I know how important it is to not just learn another skill, but build relationships with other cultures.”

Faced with staffing issues in 2023, the district moved the program’s new enrollees from two elementary schools to one — Wolf Springs — to help with the program’s sustainability.

“This is the second time we’ve been in this situation,” Levin said, noting the district tried to sunset the program a few years ago. “The parents banded together, had conversations and we managed to find a way to keep the program going at Wolf Springs [Elementary].”

Broader cuts across Blue Valley

The decision to cut the program doesn’t come alone — it’s a part of the district’s larger plan to reduce costs. Other cuts include administrative positions, coaching positions, supports for performing arts programs and the suspension of all seventh- and eighth-grade wrestling, cross country and drill/dance teams. 

To see the full list, along with additional information from the district on the cuts, visit the district’s webpage dedicated to the changes here.

“There are a lot of things getting cut that are devastating to a lot of people,” Levin said. “This one stands out a little bit differently for us. We’re getting impacted by other cuts, too — to the music programs, to the arts programs. This (the Chinese Immersion Program) is a part of their identity.”