Future Uncertain For Japanese Language Program

Students and parents made impassioned pleas to the Clarkstown Board of Education on Monday to keep the district’s Japanese language program. Despite that, the board voted five to two against a motion to postpone taking action on the program and study it over the course of the year with recommendations presented prior to the next budget. Instead, board members voted to revisit their June 13th decision to start cutting back the program at their July 2 meeting.

About 100 people came to the board meeting to show support for maintaining the Japanese language program, which begins in middle school and continues through high school. Speakers included students who were too young to be in the program but looking forward to teenagers enrolled it and those who were completing or graduated from college. The common themes were its value and the sense of community it created among students.

“I implore you please do not cancel this program,” said Conor Mooney, “We need this program. It makes our community unique.”

Mooney said the program benefitted him because he was able to go to Japan as a teacher. Clarkstown graduate Daniel Greenspan said his knowledge of Japanese enabled him to distinguish himself from other students.

Student Kevin Ryu, who started an online petition calling for the board to keep the program, said” I believe future Clarkstown students shouldn’t be deprived of such a wonderful opportunity.”

Parents criticized the board for making a decision without thoroughly investigating the impact and talking to those teaching and taking the classes. Longtime district teacher and administrator Jane Hicks described the board’s action as unconscionable and said she could not support phasing out the program. Others said the board was going back on its word that the 2013-2014 school budget maintained all staff and programs.  

When Clarkstown began offering Japanese in 1963 it was the first district in the state to do so. 

Superintendent Dr. J. Thomas Morton said if the program were eliminated for sixth graders in September, they would not have a class to go to.  Schedules have already been prepared for students and without Japanese classes to attend, as many as 175 students could wind up with an unexpected study hall. Morton said teachers would have to supervise the students so there would not be a savings. 

“I don’t believe we can play roulette with kids’ lives,” said Board President Joe Malgieri. “We’re not going to save any money by eliminating the program this year.”

Board member Robert Carlucci said he made the motion to revisit the cutback on July 2 so the board had more time.

“I want to talk to more people,” he said. “We need to evaluate it and make sure we made the right decision.”

Morton warned that the district and community must look at all costs because it cannot continue to use $11.3 million from reserves for the budget because the money will run out. Morton said he and the board should look at all programs over the course of the summer and then bring the community into the discussion in September.