Salem students who want extra help with literary and math in advance of taking the MCAS tests this spring will have the chance to get four hours a week of after-school tutoring starting in January.

The Salem School Committee, in an effort to take immediate steps to improve the schools' performance, approved the additional tutoring classes Monday night.

Last month, the state declared that the Bentley School was low performing. 

The measure was approved contingent on the administration giving the committee members more information about how the program will work, what will be taught, how the bus routes will be impacted and ultimately, how much the program will cost. The committee expects to vote on the additional classes at its next meeting, Dec. 19.

Much of the meeting was spent discussing the state's declaration that Bentley School is a Level 4 school, making Salem Public Schools a low performing district. Because one of its schools was declared low performing, the state considers the entire district low performing, said Mayor Kimberley Driscoll.

She said the state had been under pressure from the federal government to increase the number of schools on the low-performing list. Bentley and other schools were added to the list largely as a result of Massachusetts opting out of the federal No Child Left Behind program, she said.

Driscoll and Superintendent Steven Russell outlined the steps the district must take to turn not only Bentley, but all schools in the district around. The presentation was similar to the one they gave last Friday at Salem State University.

In talking about the new after-school program, Driscoll and Russell told the committee that they are not content to wait until next year to begin improving the schools' performance.

This after-school tutoring program is “driven by the need to do something now,” Russell said.

Funding for the after-school program will come from a state grant as part of the Race to the Top program.

The administration is developing the budget for the program, which will pay current teachers $45 an hour. Tutors, many of whom will come from the ranks of retired teachers, will receive $25 per hour.

All Students Grades 3 Through 10 Can Attend

The after-school tutoring is available to any student in the third to the 10^th grades, said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Steven O'Brien. The classes will have about 10 or 12 students, so each student can get individualized instruction.

All members of the committee liked the program. Jim Fleming said, “The idea is wonderful.” But he and two other committee members objected to being asked by the mayor and superintendent to approve the program without knowing more of the details of the program.

Dr. Janet Crane suggested that it should be sent to a subcommittee for more study.

Driscoll objected, saying the program has to move forward now if it is to be launched in January. Teachers have to be recruited. Students must be notified. The bus routes have to be changed, she said.

Russell smoothed over the committee members' opposition by pledging to get them more information and allowing for a final vote on the program at the next meeting.

Committee member Nate Bryant said the big challenge is to get the students to come to the classes. O'Brien agreed, saying not only was it a challenge to get them to come to the after-school tutorials, but also to keep them coming.

Sean O'Brien, a former Salem High School student, who ran for the school committee this year, suggested that the schools offer prizes to those students who improve the most.

The Salem Education Foundation

The debate over the after-school tutoring program followed a presentation by Janine Matho, the new president of the Salem Education Foundation, that outlined an enhanced commitment by the foundation to help the schools through the turn-around process.

“The next few years will be painful for our district,” Matho said. She promised that the foundation, which is the third largest source of funding for Salem schools, will continue to support teachers and principals with grants. She also said the foundation will be seeking new ways to invest in the schools.

She said the demographic data collected by the foundation paints a picture that Salem is “a small urban district” with tremendous diversity and more than half of the students living in poverty.

Before the state declared that Salem schools were low performing, she said, “Our research led us to believe that our district was in trouble.”

In some good news for the beleaguered district, Salem High School has been accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The decision is the result of a year-long audit of the school.