School Board In California Adopts Middle School Language Program Funded By China

The Los Angeles Times (4/4, Ni) reported that "a proposal to bring more resources to his school's Chinese program has sparked heated debate over whether the Chinese government...should have a role in helping American schoolchildren learn." The Hacienda La Puente Unified School District board in January "voted 4 to 1 to adopt a new Chinese language and culture class at Cedarlane next fall." Instead of the district funding the program, it "is paid for by the Chinese government's Chinese Language Council International, also known as Hanban." Former Hacienda superintendent John Kraer called the program "a propaganda machine" and said that it "has no place anywhere in the United States." But "supporters insist the concerns are unwarranted."