Board hears Teammates mentoring presentation; local fundraising, pilot timeline discussed

Christina Preen, a presenter for the Teammates mentoring program, outlined how the national office supports local sites and described program timelines and costs during a Huron School District 02-2 Board of Education meeting.

Preen said the program is “very flexible” on timing and that the primary recurring cost to local partners is a participation fee. “The participation fee is the only cost that we do for the entire year,” she told the board. She said established sites later stage match events such as bowling or sporting events that may involve modest additional costs for refreshments and event fees.

Board members asked about start-up timing and who recruits mentors. Preen said local boards of directors handle community outreach, fundraising and mentor recruitment with tools and resources provided by the national office. She said the fastest a program typically launches after approvals is about three months, but the timeline can be longer depending on local readiness.

Superintendent Dr. Steinhaus and other board members said they intend to bring a formal recommendation to the full board at a future meeting. Dr. Steinhaus said administrators will present to the district’s full administrative team before returning to the board with a recommendation. The superintendent and board members said they would seek local fundraising to cover the first-year participation fee so the school district would not add that cost to next year’s budget.

Board members identified local church groups and other community partners as potential sources of volunteers and fundraising; board members said a local volunteer who is on the state teammates board has offered to serve on a local board to help start the program. No formal vote was taken; board members said they will present a recommendation at a subsequent board meeting.