After-school program helps grades
The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania's Butler office is looking for sponsors to get a few more students to crack the books.
The United Way has been coordinating two after-school tutoring programs in the Karns City and Butler school districts since 2013, said Mary Ann Eisenreich regional director of the group's Butler office.
She said students who need help in reading, writing or math stay after school for an hour up to four days a week to get extra help in their problem subject or subjects.
Eisenreich said XTO Energy has been funding the program since 2014.
“They've been funding these two schools almost the entire time. The program started with United Way funding in 2013, and XTO funded the expansion to Chicora in 2014,” she said.
The program begins at the end of the school day at Chicora and Summit elementary schools.
Sherry Sholes, United Way of Butler's director of finance, said, “First they go over homework. Then they do extra work on that subject that they have trouble with.”
The third- through sixth-graders spend an hour up to four days a week being tutored by school teachers.
“The parents may say their children need help or sometimes the teachers may recommend the tutoring,” Sholes said.
Eisenreich said this school year, students in the two school districts have been attending the tutoring sessions, which usually run the whole school year.
“It costs about $10,000 per school to put on the sessions,” Eisenreich said. “That goes to pay teachers to stay the extra hour and do the preparation for the program.”
Shane Spack, principal at Chicora Elementary, said about 50 students in third through sixth grade have taken part in the tutoring program since its beginning.
“You can see the gains,” he said. “Ninety percent of the participants in the tutoring have maintained or increased their grades.
“We're not looking for all D and F students. It's for students who need a little bit of extra help, not just the kids who are underperforming,” Spack said.
“It's not expensive. We're not drilling the students. It's just a little bit of extra help that is paying dividends,” he said.
Karen Matusic, public and government affairs manager with the Appalachian Division of XTO Energy in Warrendale, said the United Way and XTO have been talking about adding schools to the program but no decision has been reached.
When it comes to making donations to communities, Matusic said, “We're looking for programs with measurable results. It's amazing what a small amount and the dedication of a couple of teachers can do.”
XTO makes its grant decisions at the end of the summer, she said.
Eisenreich said, “If we had more sponsors and funds we could go to more schools. The teachers and the principals really back the program.”
“The United Way is looking for more financial partners,” she said, adding potential funders could call her at 724-285-4883.
