Schools
After the Story: Funding Still Needed to Keep Oakdale Elementary Tutoring Program Going
We revisit some of the year's most memorable stories and fill you in on what happened next.
After the tutoring program for select students this spring, a team of volunteers is still trying to get the funds to offer the program year-round, said the school’s parent volunteer coordinator, DeLisa Shearod.
“The parents loved it,” Shearod said. Months after the pilot program ended, parents are still calling and asking when it will start up again, she said.
“Evidently, they like it and they are anxious to get it going,” she said.
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A community group called Building Bridges, which includes , , School District 622, the Oakdale Police Department and Washington County Social Services started the tutoring program. Building Bridges was started by Oakdale guardian ad litem Chuck Donnelly .
The tutoring program provided 18 students, selected by the school, with one-on-one tutoring twice per week for an hour after school at Transfiguration Catholic Church.
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Teachers said the students who participated were coming in with their homework done and doing better in their classes, and parents said their kids’ attitudes about school improved, said Lynea Geinert, mission volunteer coordinator at Holy Cross Lutheran Church.
“Given the results we got in eight weeks, we feel it’s important for it to be a longer program,” she said. “Eight weeks is great, but kids need longer than that; they need more stability than that.”
And a longer term program means a higher price tag, she said. The group is looking for $30,000 to $35,000 to fund the program for an entire year, she said. School District 622 Community Education provided the funding for the pilot project, she said, and they might be willing to contribute some money toward the program’s continuation. Transfiguration Catholic Church and Holy Cross Lutheran Church have both committed some money to the program, too, she said. Still, the group is far from their fundraising goal, she said.
“We really would like to diversify the funding,” Geinert said. “We think it would become a real asset for the community, so we’d like to see the businesses of Oakdale step in and help.”
If you are interested in helping out with the tutoring program, Kids and Koaches, or getting more information, email Geinert at lynea@holycrosslc.org or call her at 651-739-0643.
