READING INSTRUCTION Supporters urge renewal of program

The program gives pupils individual attention, a teacher said.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Sylvan remedial reading instruction program has a vocal following among teachers, parents and pupils and a strong public endorsement from one school board member.
Before a standing-room-only crowd, speakers urged the board of education Tuesday to retain the program, which serves pupils at North, Sheridan and Martin Luther King elementary schools. Sylvan has served the district since 2000, and the board has not acted to renew the program for next school year.
"Sylvan is successful," said Roseann Jeswald, a teacher at North Elementary School. "Sylvan is one of the best programs that I have witnessed in the past 24 years" of teaching in the district, she said. Youngstown should be proud of being the only district in the Mahoning Valley that offers Sylvan to its pupils free of charge, she said.
Sylvan gives children considerable individual attention because there is one teacher for every four pupils and class size is limited to 12, she said.
Personal experiences
"Sylvan helped me a lot," in first and second grade, said Dominique Bell, a pupil at North Elementary School. "I'm getting A's and I'm on the honor roll," she said, adding that she got good grades in third grade. "I just want to keep Sylvan," she told the board.
"The Sylvan program is excellent, and it's one of those things that you should not cut. My children were good, but now they're great in their reading," said Keisha Murphy, whose children attend Martin Luther King Elementary School and Hayes Middle School.
"We need to keep that light shining for our kids," said John Copeland of Youngstown, who urged the board to make sure city children have the same advantages as suburban children.
"It's an excellent program. You've got my vote," board member Kathryn Hawks-Haney told the crowd. She said that during an unannounced visit to North Elementary School on Monday she was impressed by the level of discipline and intensity of the children's concentration on their reading in the Sylvan program.
McGee's response
"It isn't just Sylvan that we have in the district. We have a lot of different literacy initiatives, and you've got to look at how each one fits into the whole picture. The district has a systemwide guided reading program," similar to the Sylvan program, said Superintendent Benjamin McGee. The district faces some difficult financial choices, McGee said, but he offered no specific opinion on whether Sylvan should be renewed.
"They're doing a magnificent job, but this is something that the board has to look carefully at," board member Lock Beachum said of Sylvan. "I'm quite sure that whatever decision the board will come out with will be in the best interests of our children," he added.
The walls and dais in the board meeting room were decorated with signs made by pupils in support of Sylvan. Some of the signs said: "We love Sylvan," "Sylvan works," "Sylvan spells Success," and "Keep Sylvan in our schools."