The principals at Mid-Prairie’s elementary schools in Kalona and Wellman are being proactive in helping struggling students learn how to read. At a recent Mid-Prairie school board meeting, Principal Bill Poock of Wellman Elementary and Principal Robin Foster of Kalona Elementary proposed  hiring two Title 1 reading associates for their respective schools. Title 1 is a government program aimed at helping children who are at-risk or are falling behind in their reading ability. Poock said the need for the associates arose when the Title 1 teachers began implementing a program called Level Literacy Interventions. The interventions are supposed to last 30 minutes and contain no more than three students, but with their current staff of teachers they were being forced to have as many as six students in each group. By hiring the associates, the load will be split more evenly and allow them to have the desired group size for the interventions.

The district has money to use in their Title 1 fund, so the general fund would not be affected by the salaries for the two associates. Washington Township Elementary will not require an associate, because the number of interventions needed there is considerably less than at the other two schools. Foster explained that’s a combination of more desirable class sizes and the effects of different socio-economic backgrounds of the students. The schools are currently accepting applications for the two positions.