About 50 Chinese students will go to the high school in the fall as a consequence of the arrangement. The agreement with the Tower Bridge Group (TBG) means that tuition fees of $10,000 per person will be paid from Beijing. Further sums will be collected so that Tacoma staff and students can go to China for educational purposes.
Cultural exchange may benefit individuals from Washington and China. The participating local schools could exploit the deal in their publicity material if they use printing services in Tacoma.
Lawrence Liu, the chairperson of TBG, has said:
“Our vision is to connect the world through the power of culture. We believe cultural exchange will change the DNA of the world.”
Josh Garcia, a deputy superintendent in Tacoma, has told The News Tribune that the project will help to broaden the horizons of children from Foss. Garcia has confirmed that educating the Chinese students will not cost local taxpayers anything with regard to tuition costs.
Staff from TBG will assist the Chinese students with their English skills. Moreover, these employees of TBG will also liaise with teachers and host families as required. Education in China tends to be more standardized than U.S. schooling and Liu has stated that both systems have their advantages.