Au Revoir Français: Talawanda to Eliminate French Program in 2026
Au Revoir Français: Talawanda to Eliminate French Program in 2026
By Eliza Sullivan
As a third year French student, I am lamenting the loss of French class at Talawanda High School. This class has taught me so much about other cultures and helped me think critically about my own. Learning a new language with a group of my peers has created a fun and safe learning environment. Of course, any foreign language can offer these benefits, so let’s look at why French specifically is important.
Oxford, OH—The Talawanda School Board voted on December15 to approve budget plan A2, enacting cuts to various programs. This was made necessary by the failure to secure additional funding through a tax levy in November of 2022. One of the things that plan A2 will cut is the French program. Beginning next year, French 1 will no longer be offered, but students already in the French program this year will be allowed to continue classes through French 4 if they wish. According to Talawanda School District’s superintendent Dr. Theroux, this change is expected to save upwards of $50,000.
Over the past 20 years, Talawanda has offered French, Spanish, American Sign Language, and, for a short time, Chinese. As Talawanda High School French teacher Madame Sarno said, “by offering a choice of World Languages courses, the district is providing access to various global perspectives. However, removing and eliminating access will make it more difficult to attain part of the mission goal.” According to Auburn University, foreign language study narrows achievement gaps, benefits academic achievement and cognitive development in every subject area, and can even help students develop skills in their native language.
When asked why French is an important language to learn, Sarno said: “over 40 countries have French as their first or second language, so French is extremely useful to speak as we look at the world globally… But language is only half of it… Not only is the French language useful, but French culture is embedded in so many aspects of everyday life. French is the international language for cooking, fashion, theater, visual arts, dance and architecture. The ability to communicate in French allows individuals to be exposed to literature, cinema and music, among other things.” Learning French opens a door to so many cultures all around the world, from France to Canada to Cameroon. It is important that students have the opportunity to learn more than just Spanish.
Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, Spanish will be the only foreign language offered at a beginning level at Talawanda High School. There will still be options for students looking to take other languages, however. Through the College Credit Plus (CCP) program, students can take foreign languages at Miami, which offers courses in French, German, Spanish, Russian, Latin, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Portuguese. The College Credit Plus program cannot currently be eliminated because it is a statewide program.
Similar schools to Talawanda, such as Edgewood High School, offer only Spanish, but they offer higher levels of Spanish, such as AP Spanish. These students also have the option to take CCP courses. Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, which is ranked second in the state, offers Spanish, French, German, and Chinese courses. Talawanda already offers lower levels of foreign language courses than comparable schools like Edgewood, but now will also lose the variety of courses that are seen in schools like Walnut Hills.
The loss of French at Talawanda is a sad one, but it may not be permanent. The Board of Education and THS administration have been very clear that they take no pleasure in making cuts like this. As Principal Davie said, these are not easy decisions to make and if there was money to keep everything, they would not be making these cuts.
