Utah high schools could become places where Mandarin Chinese is spoken.
The state Senate unaminously approved a bill Tuesday that would appropriate money for schools to offer the language to a limited number of students.
Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, who is sponsoring SB57, said a recent trip to Beijing impressed upon him the importance of Utah students learning Mandarin Chinese as China's presence in the world economy expands. A quarter of the planet's population speaks that language.
"What we're doing is providing a jump start for a program that simply does not exist" in Utah schools, he said.
The state has two offices in mainland China, and the class would be an "important connection" to the country as well as send a message that Utah recognizes China's importance in the world, Stephenson said.
Stephenson noted that students are learning Spanish, French, German and Japanese. But he apparently doesn't see as much value in those languages as he does Mandarin.
"I'm wondering where is the commitment to our economic future in learning French," he said during a Senate floor debate Tuesday.
Sen. Carlene Walker, R-Salt Lake City, voted against the bill, saying, "I believe it is effort and money poorly spent."
Walker said her son earned a college degree in Mandarin Chinese.
"I know how difficult it is to learn. I am not convinced it is an appropriate language for high schools," she said.
Walker said she doubts students could become proficient in the language without a meaningful cultural experience.
The bill would appropriate $58,600 from the Uniform School Fund for the State Office of Education to set up the program. It would be limited to 100 "screened " high school juniors and seniors in the first year.
The class would be taught over EDNET, the state's two-way interactive video and audio instruction system. Fluent Chinese paraprofessionals would be in classrooms for additional tutoring.
The cost could be offset through a $50,000 federal grant for which the education office has applied.