“Viewpoints” is a place on Chapelboro where local people are encouraged to share their unique perspectives on issues affecting our community. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work, reporting or approval of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com. If you’d like to contribute a column on an issue you’re concerned about, interesting happenings around town, reflections on local life — or anything else — send a submission to viewpoints@wchl.com.
Chapel Hill, We Have a Problem. Can We Trust a School District That Breaks Promises?
A perspective from Jennifer Tang
“You are only as good as your word.” Many of us teach this concept to our kids, across different languages and cultures. Because when you break promises, the person or group you made the promise to is going to feel disrespected and have a difficult time trusting you again.
We also teach children, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” That it is important to think through your words, make sure you can back them up, and follow through on them, before you make a promise.
Therefore, I’d like to remind everyone of the promises that have been publicly made to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) community. On February 20, 2026, CHCCS sent out a communication about the school closure process, noting: “This is about closing buildings. It is not about eliminating any academic programs or services for students. Students enrolled in programs will be able to complete their program pathway.”
On June 4, 2026, CHCCS sent out another communication, stating: “Programs such as STEAM² (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and Mandarin) Dual Language and STEAM² World Language will also continue after Glenwood’s closure, but the logistics of the programs may look different after the redistricting process”
That night, at the CHCCS Board of Education meeting, during the Board’s motion to close Glenwood Elementary, we were told, “I do want to say to the families and staff of Glenwood: I understand that you, as much as any school defined by a neighborhood boundary, are a community. And my motion today is motivated heavily by the fact that I trust our district leadership’s repeated commitment to maintain a dual-language and world language Mandarin track [and], regardless of physical infrastructure, that we’ll have the capacity to replicate the successes achieved in your school to date. So, that is my motion.”
The next day, the District got an email that said: “We will honor Glenwood’s legacy. While the building may close, the programs that define the community will continue. We remain fully committed to the STEAM² Dual Language and World Language programs.”
On June 8, 2026, during an interview on 97.9 The Hill, we heard our Superintendent say: “we fully support and anticipate the growth of Dual Language and World Language and possibly the expansion of those programs. So the parent of a 2nd grader can be assured that we’re going to do all that we can to make sure that our program operates and functions at a very high level as it has been, but in a new school.”
After the decision was made to close Glenwood, the focus turned to where its STEAM² program would be placed. Since there was discussion of placing its Dual Language and World Language pathways in two different schools, the Glenwood Parent Teacher Association (PTA) met with the Superintendent on June 30, 2026 to understand how that would work. Since there were suggestions during Board meetings to have two languages in one elementary school (ie, Spanish and Mandarin), perhaps as a language magnet, we directly asked the District if this it was truly possible. We were reassured that it was.
Therefore, at the August 20, 2026 CHCCS Board meeting, the Glenwood community was completely blindsided when Board members started suggesting that the World Language pathway should be dissolved, and that they would vote on its status as a magnet at the September 17, 2026 Board meeting. We were further stunned during a Listening Session with the Superintendent on September 2, 2026, when we were told “It is my recommendation that we do not assign magnet status to our programs at Rashkis and Scroggs around STEAM.” Even worse, some Board members have blamed us for the problems that they have now created for the STEAM² program, a classic case of “blaming the victim.”
These statements in the past few weeks are in direct contradiction to the promises made over the prior 6 months. We do not understand why it is so acceptable to keep placing more and more harm upon our children and community: first to have our school closed, then to split our program, and now to dissolve half of it, after promises were made to preserve it. The disproportionate harm is particularly problematic, given that the Glenwood community is a majority minority community with many immigrant families, who are already being targeted and being made to feel unwelcome in this country. Given this history of discrimination, they are already less likely to trust public institutions. Therefore, harm is not only being placed upon the school community, but also upon the reputation and standing of our school District.
But because we care about this District and public education, we are, and always have been, ready to work collaboratively with the District and others to help it keep its promises. To share the knowledge we’ve gained from being in a language magnet and what it took to implement a successful STEAM curriculum, which, for those who aren’t aware, has mostly been funded by the PTA, not the District. The District provided the teacher for our STEAM special, but we’ve been fundraising tens of thousands of dollars every year to pay for the curriculum and its supplies, as well as scholarships for economically-disadvantaged children to participate in our Lego/Robotics after-school camps. These scholarships have been critical in allowing all interested children to get early exposure to classes that are otherwise unaffordable for many.
As a program that is filled by lottery, STEAM² has always been open to any family interested in it, not just the privileged few. We would like to continue to welcome all families to it and work with the District to attract students that could most benefit it. It should not be an option to dismantle the program after so many promises to preserve it.
Written By: Jennifer Tang, Glenwood Elementary PTA Secretary
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
