(CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Illinois students would have to take two years of foreign language to earn a high school diploma under a proposal which brings some reservations.

“Theres a lot of concern about what will the quality of those programs look like, given the lack of available instructors,” said State Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville), a former classroom teacher. “It seems like that there is a lack of it across the board in the stat. I do know that in specific areas it’s even harder to find world language instructors.” She spoke during an online hearing of a House education committee.

Chicago Public Schools’ Fabiola Fadda-Ginski said her district has required two years of foreign language for almost three decades.

“We got extremely creative” in staffing up, she said. “We grew our own with partnerships with different universities. They offer certification for teachers, and the state has a partnership with the Spanish government and with several different countries all over the world to get our teachers here.”

But another concern is that the foreign language requirement comes at the expense of career and tech education. The Illinois State Board of Education wants to make the new requirement effective with the Class of 2032.