I’m seeing lots of Mandarin programs being cut due to budget deficits, not just in Canada. What’s confounding is that Chinese immersion programs are often oversubscribed, so it would seem you might want to keep them. I don’t know that they’re more expensive that other types of programs, teachers aren’t paid more in most districts for working in bilingual programs. Any thoughts?

Burnaby mom fights to save Mandarin program as school district deals with deficit

By Mike Lloyd

Posted May 13, 2025 6:52 am. 

Last Updated May 13, 2025 7:05 am.

As the Burnaby School District faces a $4.2 million budget shortfall for the next school year, a mom is fighting to save programs at her daughter’s elementary school, including Mandarin language education.

The district is considering a broad range of cuts to deal with its deficit, affecting things like elementary band, libraries, advanced learning, and counselling.

Parent Denysa Leung is worried about the Mandarin Language Arts program at Forest Grove Elementary, where her daughter is in Kindergarten.

Please read more here.

Note that the District decided to phase out the Mandarin language program. No new Kindergarten students will be admitted in the 2026-2025 school year.