TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) -- The Leon County School District is partnering up with the "United Way of the Big Bend" to help local elementary schools improve literacy in young students.
The school district will receive two "21st Century Learning Council" grants, each worth 517 thousand dollars a year for five years.
The grants will benefit several schools across the area, including Oakridge, Bond, Hartsfield, Riley, and Reudiger elementary schools.
These grants, along with programs such as the Superintendent's "Million Book Challenge, all go toward helping improve elementary student's reading skills. The goal is for elementary students to read one million books by the end of the school year. Right now, they are ahead of schedule with about 400-thousand so far.
"If you can't get kids on the right train for reading by third grade, the issues that occur after that just continue to pile. You have to make sure that that mark is being hit. It is a critical year," said Heather Mitchell, President of the United Way of the Big Bend.
