SMART volunteer reading program ousts chief executive, looks to reverse declines
Published: Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 5:30 PM Updated: Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 5:33 PM
Concerned about a continuing drop in the number of students served by the early literacy program known as SMART, the group's board has removed chief executive Terry Shanley and is searching for an interim and permanent replacement.
The Start Making a Reader Today program, established in 1991, arranges for volunteer adults to read one-on-one for an hour each week with students who need to build reading skills. It operates in more than 200 elementary schools in 28 of Oregon's 36 counties.
At its peak in 2006-07, the nonprofit reached 11,500 students in kindergarten through grade three. But this school year, the third under Shanley's leadership, it served about 7,000 students, marking the third consecutive year of declining numbers.
The main reason SMART is facing a challenge raising enough donations to grow its operation is the same reason that most nonprofits are struggling: Oregon's long-slumping economy, according toCharles Wilhoite, chairman of the board of directors.
But he said some practices at the $3 million-a-year organization need to be strengthened and stabilized.
"We truly appreciate Terry's dedication to the cause of children's literacy and the enthusiasm he brought to the organization," Wilhoite said. But "the board has really lost confidence in our ability to continue to grow the number of children we are serving" under Shanley's leadership.