Burnaby mom fights to save elementary language program

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.

“It’s a very limited opportunity for children in the Lower Mainland,” said Leung. “Forest Grove is the only school that has this Mandarin program available.”

She believes only two other schools in the region offer anything similar, but they are much more comprehensive Mandarin immersion programs at elementary schools in Vancouver and Coquitlam. 

“And a lot of parents in Burnaby, we are not able to apply in other districts for cross-catchment learning, so that is a challenge,” she explained.

In its draft budget, the Burnaby School District says the Mandarin Language Arts Program is due to be gradually phased out starting in the 2026/2027 school year, with no Kindergarten intake, but students currently in the program will remain until they finish their Grade 7 year.

While that means her daughter should be able to continue her Mandarin studies, Leung is concerned that future students will lose an important opportunity.  She is also afraid that the wider loss of staff and programs like Grade 7 band will be permanent.

“The amount of programs they are cutting right now, it’s impactful,” she told 1130 NewsRadio.

“I think having these kids exposed to all these extracurricular activities at a young age is so important as they develop and grow. Seeing all these cuts is detrimental, not just for my children, but also for future generations are being affected. I feel like once they cut a program, there’s a very high risk the school districts will not bring these programs back.”

In a statement to 1130 NewsRadio, the Burnaby School District says, “It’s important to note that no final decisions have been made yet by the Burnaby Board of Education.”

The Burnaby Board of Education is due to vote on its 2026/2027 budget on May 27.