Adding Arabic to District 230's curriculum has many advantages for students taking the class, including potentially higher paying jobs, having the same opportunity as other districts in the Chicagoland area, increases in cognitive linguistic skills, better communication with family, friends, and co-workers. Knowing Arabic can be an advantage for students when searching for a job. It increases your marketability in finance, business, law, healthcare, energy and technology and international relations to to name a few. It also increases accessibility to emerging markets in the Middle East or North African regions or MENA and more networking opportunities. Bottom line is Arabic speakers are in great demand and potential employees can get a higher pay especially when working for global companies. I want district 230 students to stay competitive with other districts in the Chicagoland area that offer Arabic. Two such instances are the Chicago public schools and the community high school district 280 Richards High School in Oaklan.
>> Yeah, it's pretty straightforward. I checked most of it right from the implementation section of the plan. So it is uh we are recommending a seven to nine member committee, one select board member, one planning board member and then seven uh five to seven um public at large with ideally at least half of them coming from the comprehensive plan committee members. And when we were having this discussion back in October and September, there were a number of members who were very interested in participating and continuing with the implementation plan. Then the idea is that the implementation plan would sort of set their meeting dates, determine if they feel like they need to meet monthly for the first six months and that's what I would recommend. And then the other the other portion is once we have our people from the comprehensive plan committee who want to participate and if we have more than two or three then we may have to do some kind of interviews or you know deciding between either the two boards or if we want to just do it.
As an SLP speech language pathologist who specializes in cognitive and linguistics disorders and multiculturalism, learning Arabic increases a students cognitive and linguistic skills. Arabic speakers have diverse dialects and cultures. By studying the language, one has a better understanding of their cultures and will increase students pragmatics or the use social use of language. Arabic is a language that linguists refer to as a deep language. Learning it will enhance memory, problem solving, and attention shifting from one topic to another. In other words, multitasking. Students and staff members want Arabic. We've asked for it. We've attended board meetings. It's important to us. To iterate this point, allow me to share a personal story. My maternal grandfather, a World War II vet, was looking for a job after the war. He heard that Ford was hiring. When he got to the company, he saw a long line of people, and he's like, "Uh-oh." So, he grabbed the attention of someone who looked like he was in charge, and he said, "Can you tell your boss that Fred Canudson wants to speak to him?" The guy's like, "Okay." So, he grabs the boss and he asked him, "Can Fred talk to you?" He's like, "Sure, bring him up." Uh, his boss said, "What can I do for you?" And my grandfather said, "I need a job." The boss was furious.
Um I think that's part of the discussion right how do we determine what the rest of that committee is going to look like. Um it's been recommended uh that we have someone from every precinct since we only have five to seven members. I don't know that we'll have someone from every precinct, but I know we have some comprehensive plan committee members who did represent precincts. So, we can look at that. Uh, so I think if we approve the outline of what the implementation committee can wants to look like, then it would be how do we want to decide who is actually on it? And I think the first again the first recommendation would be to reach out to those members who are on the comprehensive plan to say okay we're looking for three or four of you to help with the implementation committee and then as we're doing that simultaneously reach out to the public and say we're looking for two to three members who want to participate and help with the implementation of this process.
He's fumed. "Didn't you see that long line of people that also needed a job?" My grandfather calmly said, "Well, if they needed a job as badly as badly as I did, then they would have been up here with me, too." My grandfather was hired on the spot. Like my grandfather who asked for a job Thank you. Was she Lana or she was she was Lana?
Um, I I don't I don't recommend. We went through a very lengthy interview process when we did this the first time, which was very good for that process. I don't I don't know that I want to recommend that same lengthy interview process. I think this is something that we want to try to get. I mean, ideally, we have our first meeting in May um for this committee to get it up and running and get it started and start looking at the comprehensive plan and start moving things forward. >> I'm sorry, I don't know. >> And if I in front of me, I was just going to ask um uh was there a term like a certain number of years you were asking? >> I didn't put that on there. I think it's something to think about how we want to do it. I don't know if I mean because it's not until completion because I don't think anyone's going to want to be sitting there for 10 years.
And for the board members, not everybody's used all their three minutes. So I will honor all 13 speakers if everybody's okay with that. >> Good evening everybody. My name is Lana Abu Shaheen. I'm a child birth educator and adula and I spend my days supporting families, helping children come into this world. And I'm raising three young children of my own who are curious and beautiful and proud to be of the heritage that we come from. When you do the type of work I do, you see something very clearly. Children learn best when we honor who they are, where they come from, and the world they're growing into. That is why adding Arabic as a world language is not a luxury. It's a necessity. Our children are growing up in a diverse interconnected world. Their classmates come from different backgrounds. Their future co-workers will also come from everywhere.
Right. >> Um I think we could look at once we sort of determine who's on it or maybe as we're moving forward to it say how many years or or how long um >> like a recommendation but not you don't be a burden for someone. It's one of those things like I think about certain towns I know have like building committees and those building committees are in place until either their projects are completed or they someone needs to step off, right? We have our building committee for the um for the Mendes, right? And we had a building committee for the public safety building and that was until completion unless someone had to step off. Um I I think we could go either way if people if we want to do terms. Um the thing is it's one of those committees that you're going to get working together with each other and then it's it's not like you don't want you don't want someone to like fall off the committee and then you have to bring someone else new on.
When we give students access to more language languages, we're not just teaching them vocabulary. We're teaching them understanding, confidence, and belonging. Arabic is one of the most widely spoken languages. You've heard this over and over again, but it's true. It is deeply tied to science, medicine, literature, history. It's undeniable. Exposing students to Arabic opens doors automatically academically and culturally. It helps them see beyond the borders of their own experience. And for many families in this community, it reflects their heritage and identity. That matters. Kids thrive when we see themselves when they kids thrive when they see themselves represented in their school. And we've seen this from previous segments. We've seen how the students of special needs felt included just by just by having that single program handed to them. I also know as a parent that curiosity is our children's greatest asset. They ask questions.
I um give it a lot of thought. But >> I I if I could jump in. Yeah. >> We we did a lot of the these same kinds of discussions when we appointed the comprehensive plan committee. >> Generally, these are about the same time of how long it takes. So the comprehensive plan took a few years. >> The implementation committee's work will probably be in a similar range. Um so we may want to when we post this for the public, we might want to put in there that just like the comprehensive plan process, this could be a multi-year process. And then it looks like on the bottom of Yolanda's sheet, she had proposed I think based on the comprehensive plan draft that there would be a chair or co-chair and all that. And presumably they'll come up with rules of how to how to handle empty seats.
They want to explore. They want choices. And adding Arabic gives them an option they don't have today. They're not required to take it, but at least having it there tells them your interests matter and your future matters. A school district should grow with its students. Right now, we have an opportunity to expand their world, to support academic excellence, to send a message that every child's background and curiosity deserves space in inside our classrooms. I'm asking you to approve Arabic as a as a world language, not just for a cultural value, but because it strengthens identity, it enriches education, and it aligns our schools with what our children need to thrive. Thank you. Summer. >> Not sure if you heard me. I said summer. Okay. I thought so, but I wasn't sure. >> You're good. Thank you. >> Uh, hi. Good evening. Uh, my name is Sar Vikat.
You would think that because we have jurisdiction, the comprehensive plan jurisdiction is with the planning board and obviously the select board and partnership. I would suggest that we do come up with some basic um good practice requests to that leadership where we basically say you know if you have open members see come back to us and let us know and we can figure out what to do next. Um but one thought I had for for this group is to the extent that we have um a request I think we got a public comment from Keith Jerzik who was on the comprehensive plan committee and is a former planning board member to make sure we have representation from different uh precincts. What I would suggest is there was a clear priority at the comprehensive plan committee to have members from that committee be given an opportunity to be on the implementation committee.
Um, I am a alum of Samberg and um all my older siblings are also alum of Samberg. Um, and for me, um, something that I would have liked to have in high school is having the Arabic class personally. Um, as much as, you know, I grew up learning Arabic and speaking Arabic, um, I forgot a lot of it growing up. And so, for me to have kind of that, um, like a class in growing up to attend and be able to participate in so that I can kind of, um, learn Arabic again would have been really nice. And I'm sure a lot of other students um would agree with that. Um you know to kind of have to wait until college to be able to take a Arabic course is kind of disappointing. Um you know I think having Arabic initially to start um in earlier years is a great um is a great push to kind of continue learning.
So I feel like that should be primary focus. It doesn't matter what precinct they're from. Let's try to get three to four members from the comprehensive plan committee and then I would suggest that we look at their addresses and their precinct location and then we select board and planning board when we post for the general public let's fill it in with as many missing precincts as we can. We may not hit the perfect balance but that would be my suggestion on that. Um >> right as I as I stated when I started Anna that when we were you know I said that that Kate had recommended I didn't say Kate specifically but that someone had recommended that we do precincts and when we look at the people who are on the comprehensive plan >> when we select those some of them were precinct representatives so I think we're saying the same thing but I had said that when I started so >> okay yeah I guess I was thinking more it doesn't really matter what precinct they're in um I would just take them.
um you know to have if I kind of had like Arabic class in high school at Samberg um you know I would have maybe even uh I would have pushed to um take Arabic in you know college and continue it maybe later on and you know I think that's just something that me and other students and even future generations would appreciate especially because um D230 has such a large Arabic speaking population and those that come from Arab speaking backgrounds. So, um, I'm asking you guys to please take in cons consideration for students that are there now and to students that are going to be there moving on to include Arabic as a world language class in D230. Thank you, >> Ben. Rico Mercas. >> Uh, good evening. Uh, thank you members of the boards of the board for, uh, listening to me. So, my name is Federico Lu Matias.
I don't know how many are going to be interested. That was more of the point I was trying to make. Um it was such a large commitment for multiple years. I think we're going to be lucky if a few of them are in and so I would worry not at all about which precinct they're from. >> Thank you. >> So I'm sorry. And how um >> so it's a a joint again joint departments by the planning board and select board. >> Okay. >> That's my recommendation. >> Yeah. I mean, I guess I would just I guess I would just think that there should be some kind of term in there. Um, open to what that term is. Obviously, I don't think it should be any longer than three years given, you know, five years is too long. Um, but uh >> I do see people either because of interest or time rotating off of this committee.
I teach Arabic and Spanish at Lingum Park High School and I was here at the last meeting January 29th and uh so I'm back because I have an update. Uh that meeting I said that I was working on legislation at the in Springfield and uh my Senate John resolution was filed on February 2nd. So I'm here to read it to you. Um I wish uh I hope I have time. Whereas whereas in 26 the federal secretaries of state education and defense and the director of national intelligence launched the national security language initiative to increase the number of Americans learning and teaching foreign languages of critical importance to national security and global competitive competitiveness and whereas the national security language initiative was founded on the recognition that speaking another's language promotes understanding and conveys respect for other countries and cultures strengthens the ability of the United states to engage foreign peoples and governments and provides others with an opportunity to learn more about America and its people.
Um, >> I I agree that that would happen, but in the case that it doesn't, >> I think the planning board and the select board should have an opportunity to be to review >> members that are on there that stay on indefinitely, right? I think there should be some kind of control over >> Yeah. You know, maybe it's not cohesive, right? Maybe there maybe more intervention is going to be needed to be made, right? And as as the two boards as the two boards that >> form that committee, we want to make sure it's actually >> functioning in a in a way that serves the planning board and the select board >> and the community to to make the progress we're hoping to make. Yeah. Um >> that makes sense. If I could through you, Madam Chair, if you do, I would just recommend if you do terms to stagger them obviously, so you don't have a board everybody's term expiring at the exact same time would be recommendation, >> right?
And whereas in 2018 the federal government designated Arabic a critical language and whereas Arabic is a global language spoken by hundreds of millions of peoples and is one of the six official languages for the United Nations. And whereas Arabic is central to cultural, economic and diplomatic engagement worldwide, yet remains far less available than other world languages in the US K to2 education. And whereas expanding Arabic instruction helps build both linguistic and intercultural comp competence, preparing students to be more informed, productive, and compassionate global citizens in a world where understanding and connection across cultures is essential. And whereas over the past 15 years, global events, including sustained US diplomatic, economic, and security engagement in the Middle East and North Africa have only heightened the strength, the strategic strategic value of Arabic profic proficiency. And whereas the US federal government continues to reaffirm Arabic as a critical language through programs such as the national security language initiative for youth, the critical language scholarship program and other national security education program grants which provide immersive and virtual opportunities for Arabic studies.
Which could be which could be, you know, drawing straws basically for the regular members. I think within for the two board members, you know, we would have to kind of determine that too that hey, every every year the planning because you know boards change every year. Maybe every year the planning board will decide if that if the same person stays in the board or they have to change because that person is now no longer on the board, right? >> Just, you know, as one of our regular assignments about who who serves on that board. So >> then a recommendation I would have is that um we either align terms with like the month after an election or what we've done on the select board is our terms used to end in June and we would have new people not being able to figure out who's not our select board terms but the the committees that we appoint all of our committees now their appointments end on o on August 31st.