Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Teacher Mentoring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
School City of East Chicago outlines mentor program to support first-year teachers
Summary
District director presented a draft teacher mentor program aiming to train mentors in May and launch systematic supports for first-year teachers in the 2025–26 school year.
Miss Christina Gutierrez, director of elementary curriculum for School City of East Chicago, presented a district teacher mentor plan designed for school year 2025–26.
Gutierrez said the program’s mission is “to support, encourage, and inspire educators by fostering a welcoming and collaborative environment,” and described five goals including improving first-year teacher retention, providing networks of professional resources, strengthening instructional capacity, and ensuring student needs are met. She told the board the program combines district-level mentor meetings with building-level, flexible supports and a handbook of monthly checklists spanning August through June.
Gutierrez said mentors must complete six hours of mentor professional development and will be designated official SCEC mentors after an initial May 30 training; those mentors will be assigned mentees in fall 2025. She said the district plans twice-monthly meetings for mentees and that mentors commit to at least one hour per month of mentee contact and to fulfill the seven semester-hour requirement described in the handbook.
Board members asked about how mentee feedback would be collected and whether experienced teachers could participate. Jesse Gomez asked whether mentees would provide feedback; Gutierrez said the committee already included a first-year teacher, Miss Campos, and that both mentees and mentors will complete end-of-year surveys. Trustee Mercedes Taylor asked whether seasoned teachers could participate; Gutierrez said existing new-teacher orientation sessions are open to other staff who wish to attend.
Gutierrez emphasized the plan is still in draft form and described the presentation as an opportunity for board feedback before formal adoption for 2025–26. She said the committee intends to use stakeholder surveys after the program’s first year to revise the handbook and supports.
The board did not take formal action on the program during the work session; Gutierrez asked for feedback and flagged the May 30 mentor training date as the first step toward a fall 2025 launch.
