We, stakeholders of the Mandarin Immersion (MI) Program at Broadway Elementary, fully support the growth plan for the dual-language K-12 pathway for the Venice Complex of Schools as outlined by Board Member Zimmer, LAUSD ESC West and the Facilities Division and strongly advocate building a facility for the Mandarin Immersion Program on the campus of Mark Twain Middle School. The MI Program serves the increasing demand of parents to have access to world-class dual language public school education for their children. A K-12 dual-language immersion pathway would open doors for its students when they graduate from LAUSD with the Seal of Biliteracy. The MI Program would be a key component in the Venice Complex dual-language pathway and could create the potential for LAUSD to become a national model for K-12 dual-language education.

The demand for the MI Program has been clear since it began in 2010. The 2013-14 academic year began with four MI kindergarten classes at capacity and over 60 students on the waitlist. The MI Program is thriving and projected to outgrow its current space at Broadway Elementary. Since early March 2014 when the enrollment priority windows for LAUSD students and other school districts opened, parents have lined up outside of Broadway's front doors in hopes of sending their children to Kindergarten in the MI Program this Fall. Furthermore, the MI Program is not only drawing back LAUSD families who might have otherwise sent their children to charter or private schools; it has been consistently successful in attracting families from outside of LAUSD, further increasing enrollment and bringing in much needed revenue for LAUSD.

Currently, the MI Program has over 300 students enrolled in grades K-3. Both the MI Program and the newly implemented Spanish Immersion Program at Broadway have been an exception to the the trend of under-enrollment at neighboring elementary schools. With its consistently strong enrollment numbers, the MI Program will be the cornerstone of the K-12 dual-language pathway that includes two district schools in dire need of increased enrollment - Mark Twain Middle School and Venice High School. As part of Board Member Zimmer’s vision for dual language immersion programs within the Venice Complex of Schools, dual language immersion students would matriculate to Mark Twain Middle School and Venice HS.

MI Program parents are united in our support for the plan presented to us by Board Member Zimmer. It is clear that the MI Program needs a permanent home at a single location that can house the entire elementary program. A world-class, dual-language LAUSD elementary program is what the MI Program families, teachers, and administrators in collaboration with LAUSD district leaders have spent the last four years successfully creating together.  A permanent home would allow continued growth, which is necessary in order for the MI Program to realize its critical role in establishing the K-12 dual-language pathway within the Venice Complex of Schools. As such, we respectfully urge the Bond Oversight Committee to support Board Member Zimmer's plan to construct a permanent home for the Mandarin Immersion Program. 

Sincerely,

Mandarin Immersion Parents & Community Stakeholders