School District starts literacy campaign

Terry Webster

Friday, May 4, 2001 | 10:45 a.m.

Bringing more than 1.5 million donated books and 1,000 literacy volunteers to the Clark County School District is the goal of a program that began today.

More than 60 percent of the books in Clark County classrooms and libraries are outdated or worn out, school officials said. And the district averages 12 fewer books per student than most schools nationwide.

School officials said the gap results from the cost of books in comparison to the amount allocated for their purchase. An average elementary school library book costs $10, and secondary level books cost about $20. But the annual allocation per student is just $7.

"This will help increase literacy in the district and will help out families at home by providing books their children can read," said Superintendent Carlos Garcia.

The plan is part of Garcia's goal of having every student reading at grade level by the time he reaches third grade. National studies have shown that student achievement and literacy levels improve when students have access to books and tutors.

The program, Clark County Reads, will begin with a goal of collecting about 400,000 books for students in grades kindergarten through three.

"We'll be starting off with the at-risk elementary schools and then will be working with elementary schools in general,"said Mary Stanley-Larsen, school district spokeswoman. "Then, we will be working districtwide."

Books will be collected by various groups, and a series of book depositories will be located throughout the city. Additionally, organizations will be asked to make monetary donations to Clark County Reads.

Stanley-Larsen said details on training the literacy volunteers are still being worked out.

A coalition of groups that will help with the literacy campaign were to be announced today during a press conference at Robert E. Lake Elementary School. Speakers scheduled for today's announcement include Garcia; Dario Herrera, chairman of the Clark County Commission; Robert Forbuss, vice chairman of development for the Clark County Education Foundation; and Pat Shalmy, president of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Anyone interested in becoming a literacy volunteer can contact the Clark County Reads office at 5450 W. Sahara Ave., Suite 300, or call (702) 598-5373. The group also has an Internet website (www.clarkcountyreads.org).

"Reading is so critical because it is the foundation of all learning,' said Stanley-Larsen. "If students can't read, they are not going to be able to understand subjects like social studies and science."