Vancouver school trustees have resurrected a proposal to launch a Mandarin bilingual program for the city’s students.

Proponents hoped the program would be approved for a September startup, but that idea was nixed as the Vancouver School Board struggled to balance its budget that called for more than $17 million in cuts.

In late June, however, COPE trustee Jane Bouey moved a motion, which trustees passed unanimously, to introduce the program one year later—in September 2011.

Bouey believes the program is important even though the district is in tough financial times and laid off staff and cut programs and services.

“It is embarrassing that Edmonton has had such a program for 25 years and Vancouver, where there is a large Mandarin speaking population and thus many opportunities to practise the language, only has a late Mandarin immersion program at Jamieson,” she told the Courier. “It is our board’s hope to expand language programs available in the city. The opportunity to learn other languages is something that should be available to all children.”

The program may be based at John Norquay elementary at 4710 Slocan St, although Bouey said that decision hasn’t been finalized.

A kindergarten and Grade 1 class will go ahead, and each year another grade will be added as the bilingual program grows.

VSB staff estimated start-up costs to be $189,000 earlier this year. Resources and materials were priced at $17,500, curriculum development at $17,000, facilities at $20,000 and staffing at $135,000.

Bouey said staff would be required even if the students enrolled in a different program.

“By making the commitment now, we should not face additional staffing costs. Students enrolling in early bilingual Mandarin would be in some other kindergarten—if not in this one. So the only additional costs should be start-up costs for curriculum and perhaps facilities,” she said.

Susan Duffy, a mother of two girls and member of Mandarin for B.C. Schools, which has been lobbying for a Mandarin program since 2008, was “dead pleased” about the approval.

“We’ve birthed a baby—it was a long pregnancy,” Duffy said. “From a personal perspective, it’s too late for my kids, but that does not, in any way, dampen my spirits about getting this done because it’s still a great legacy for this group of parents who worked unbelievably hard and very respectfully with the VSB and likewise they were very respectful back to us.”

Duffy thought the Mandarin program was stillborn until Bouey raised the motion at the June 23 board meeting. Her only disappointment is that the program may be housed at Norquay, located near Kingsway and East 29th, and not at a centrally located school. But she’s convinced enrolment won’t be a problem and expects there will be a waiting list for students.

“I’m positive it will be names in a hat,” Duffy, adding she believes the program will stem what she said was a flow of students from the public to private school systems. “I really believe language options are the exact thing that parents are looking for.”

Bouey agreed a lottery system is likely.

noconnor@vancourier.com