Levy County School Board members heard a presentation from the district’s mentor team about a mentor program intended to help teachers on temporary certificates finish state certification requirements and remain with the district.

The mentors told the board the program provides tiered, non‑evaluative support — weekly visits for first‑year teachers, biweekly coaching for second‑year teachers and monthly or site‑based module support for later years — plus site‑based quarterly cadres, a lending library for test preparation and paid work time for completing PLCP modules.

Program leaders said the aim is practical help with classroom setup, lesson planning, classroom management, test preparation and the PLCP’s 20 professional education modules. “We are meeting with you 45 minutes or, or sometimes they ask, can you come back for lunch? … our number one priority is making sure that we’re seeing them because it’s their first year,” Mentor Lauren Wyghurst told the board.

The mentors gave enrollment and outcome figures to the board: 71 teachers are on a temporary certificate districtwide; 50 of those are enrolled in the PLCP; 7 teachers completed PLCP this school year and at least 6 additional teachers have finished all 20 modules and are awaiting testing or state processing. Since the program’s start, mentors reported an 89% retention rate among PLCP completers. Program staff said the district began the mentorship effort during the 2022–23 period to respond to a rise in teachers entering the classroom without traditional internship experience.

Mentees and administrators provided examples of the program’s effects. Jacob Paul, a teacher who received biweekly support, said mentoring “helped him move to the next level” by improving behavior supports and classroom strategies. Wilson Middle‑High assistant principal Leah Boyd said teachers were “open and receptive” to non‑evaluative feedback and more willing to change instruction as a result.

Mentors also described recent changes and next steps: embedding a schedule of classroom observations into the Teacher 101 monthly curriculum, holding semester pulse‑check meetings that include mentor, mentee and building administration, expanding school‑based preplanning conversations during summer onboarding, and offering site‑based PLCP work days where substitutes cover classrooms so mentees can work on modules during the school day.

Program leaders and board members emphasized the program’s focus on practical supports — including help registering for certification tests, arranging observation days at other campuses and providing discounted test‑prep subscriptions — rather than evaluation. The mentors said the initiative aims both to improve classroom practice and to keep teachers in Levy County schools.

Board members thanked the presenters and several expressed personal appreciation for the mentors’ work. The mentors provided the board copies of their materials and offered to return with additional data if requested.