Should the District Expand the World Language Curriculum?

This letter was written in response to a letter published in the October 9 Scarsdale Inquirer by Abraham Eviatar about the additional expense of expanding foreign language instruction in Scarsdale schools:

In the letter in the newspaper, Mr. Eviatar makes the assumption that there is a correlation between increases in property taxes due to the re-evaluation and the school district's consideration of expanding the foreign language curriculum. If the district decides to expand the curriculum, this expense will have nothing to do with the re-evaluation process and large increases in taxes which has led to the abundance of homes for sale in certain parts of Scarsdale. The re-evaluation was just an alternative way for the village to allocate each homeowner's share of the taxes.

I would like to point out to Mr. Eviatar that we have a fiscally responsible School Administration and Board of Trustees. They are very mindful of the tax cap and especially the tax burden on residents of our community. I am sure the Board will only consider changes to our world language curriculum that are fiscally responsible and will maintain the excellence in our schools. In fact, the school tax rate growth over the past few years has been moderate.

I am supportive of the district expanding the world language offerings and in particular, starting a Mandarin program in the Middle School. This issue was brought to the attention of the Board of Ed last year and the Board has decided to evaluate it this year. It is essential for our students to become proficient in languages other than the romance languages that are currently offered in the Middle School. We all know the benefits of learning Mandarin in our global economy and it is a language that should be started at an earlier age to give our students the opportunities to master the language before they leave the high school and enter college. Many students in the district have an aptitude and interest in learning languages, often multiple ones, and currently the district is not expanding in this area or providing the necessary opportunities for our students, some of whom will study or work abroad in the future.

The Superintendent's Office has recently emailed a parent survey to determine parents' interest in the district offering additional world language options. It is important for the parents in our community to understand the importance of expanding the world language offerings and to complete the survey.

In the past, Scarsdale has never been opposed to change. During my children's time in the school district, we have seen changes to make our district more progressive, to foster and expand our student's interests in academics and to help them become stronger global citizens. I believe it is time for our community and Board of Ed to evaluate the world language opportunities in our schools. We should not assume the additional expense would have anything to do with the recent property tax re-evaluation.

Sincerely,
Ronny Hersch
32 Benedict Road
(914) 472-1659