Local teacher opens a math-tutoring franchise in Boise and Meridian

Dan Hintz of Kuna and Reed Brown of Fruit Heights, Utah, say Mathnasium Idaho, with locations in Boise and Meridian, offers homework help, private tailored learning plans and ACT/SAT math-section test prep. The Meridian location has been open several months and is already turning a profit, Hintz says. The new location in Southeast Boise is on track to be profitable within four months, he says.

Hintz is the local director. A retired lieutenant colonel, he spent 22 years in the U.S. Air Force and then taught high school Common Core math and tutored for two years before opening the business.

Q: How did you decide to open a Mathnasium franchise?

A: Went looking for the best math program in the nation for meeting each student at their level of need, whether it be below, at or above grade level. Researched public/private/charter/home-school/online K-12 programs, private tutoring companies and private learning programs.

Q: How do you choose your instructors?

A: We ... have the best instructors/tutors anywhere. We achieve this by rigorously screening them with tests and kid-tested/mother-approved trial sessions, and then providing them professional training and certification to be math instructors. [Their] resumes’ items include: valedictorians, perfect ACT/SAT math scores, state champions in multiple activities, bachelor’s degrees through Ph.D.s in applied sciences and math.

Q: What do you hope to achieve in the next three to five years?

A:•  Help thousands of kids become confident in themselves and realize they can accomplish anything they want.

•  Have seven Mathnasium learning centers open in the Treasure Valley.

•  Start the journey of taking Idaho from worst to first in math across the nation.

•  Partner with businesses, schools and local/state/federal agencies to provide opportunities for economically challenged families to gain access to Mathnasium programs.

•  Bring an awareness to education administrators and taxpayers in general that investing in education has by far the greatest return for our state than any other activities, and an awareness that we need to meet students at their level of need and build their math capability and confidence up to levels of excellence.

Audrey Dutton: 377-6448; Twitter: @IDS_Audrey