We first began exploring this idea when a group of interested parents approached us about the concept in May of 2019. We feel that offering such a program would be in alignment with our belief that biliteracy and bilingualism are valuable life skills and that it is important to offer our families choice and variety in the types of programs we offer. 

The District has explored what such a program would look like, visiting other districts with Mandarin Immersion programs. We have conducted surveys to gauge community interest and hosted community forums at three of our schools. In addition, the District has held several updates during the public Board of Education meetings. 

We will continue to explore the best models for establishing such a program.

Please see the program description here. Once a location is selected, an advisory committee composed of district staff and parents/guardians would be formed to develop the program further. 

The District has identified seven criteria to evaluate the impact of the program on the selected school. These criteria included (in no particular order):

1) School community considerations

2) Existing facilities

3) Enrollment (current and projected)

4) Fiscal impacts

5) Placement of support programs

6) Location of middle school pathway

7) Location within the district.

Additional staffing costs would be limited given the fact that the program would be serving Sunnyvale School District students only and the district would be utilizing existing staff to handle the hiring, curriculum development, and administration of the program.  There will be one-time costs associated with the curriculum development and instructional materials spread out over the next seven years as the program grows. 

As with all programs of choice, registration into the Mandarin Immersion Program would be conducted through the Sunnyvale School District's Open Enrollment Process. This process is conducted each February for the following school year and is an opportunity for students within the boundaries of the Sunnyvale School District to opt-in to a different program other than their neighborhood school.

The discussions surrounding a Mandarin Immersion Program have been ongoing since the Spring of 2019 based on expressed family interest in the program. 

There is no start date at this time. 

The District is further evaluating the logistics and sustainability of the program.