Schools Short On Volunteers For Tutoring Program

A new program to help Spokane’s young readers is struggling to get off the ground in some North Side schools.

The idea behind Spokane School District 81’s tutoring program was to match every struggling student in grades one through three with a volunteer. Nineteen elementary schools took the district up on its offer when it was introduced this year.

“We sort of envisioned four volunteers per grade level, so 12 per school, that could come in a couple times a week,” said Pat Mainella, district language arts coordinator.

She said educators are finding their goals may have been unrealistic.

“In the schools where they have volunteers, it’s going quite well,” said Mainella. “But some schools are struggling to get the volunteers.”

Six elementary schools, three of which are on the North Side, have reported a lack of volunteers since the program began this school year. Others say volunteers don’t come as regularly as they’d hoped.

Arlington, Westview and Woodridge elementary schools have all requested more volunteers.

District administrators allocated $100,000 from general funds for books and training. Volunteers attended two training sessions to prepare them to tackle tutoring students reading below grade level.

Mainella said part of the problem may stem from welfare reform, causing would-be tutors to devote more time at work. As a result, many of the district’s most faithful volunteers are retired residents with a bit of extra time to share.

Arlington coordinator, Sue Shook, said the school currently has eight volunteers. She would like to have 20.

“Obviously we’ll take any kind of help we can get,” Shook said. “But with 20 volunteers, that would give us close to two volunteers for every K-3 classroom.”

Arlington has 11 classrooms of students who are kindergarten through third grade.

Anyone who is interested is encouraged to call the schools.

For more information about the Arlington program, call Shook or Dorothy Schultheis at 353-5281; for Westview, call Jan Geer, 353-5228; and at Woodridge, call LeSheay Hayes at 353-5304.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Amy Scribner Staff writer Staff writer Kevin Blocker contributed to this story.