Action Alert: K-3 Reading Improvement Program Funding & Optional Extended-Day Kindergarten

By: Elizabeth Garbe
Public Policy Director

One line item in Utah’s education budget is the K-3 Reading Improvement Program. The State invests around $15 million which is matched by $15 million local tax levy funds. According to statute the program “is created to achieve the state’s goal of having third graders reading at or above grade level.” All districts and charter schools participate in the program, with nearly 200,000 children being served this year. According to the Utah State Office of Education all K-3 students are directly or indirectly served by the program through:

• the lowering of class size,
• purchase of materials,
• providing interventions,
• funding professional development, and
• other means

Despite a 30.84% increase in students with at risk factors since 2004 (larger number of children with limited English proficiency, economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities…) Utah’s Criterion Reference Tests (CRTs) show that there has been a steady trend upward in the percent of students proficient in 3rd grade English Language Arts. In 2010 Utah students in the 3rd grade scored higher than the nation in every objective with in vocabulary and reading comprehension.

Legislators are concerned that schools are not appropriately spending the funds. Currently the state’s investment has been cut from the budget. This means the program would take a 50% cut, if the matching funds can still be applied to the program.

Research shows that by the end of third grade students must be done learning to read and ready to read for comprehension. Both the K-3 Reading Improvement program and the Optional Extended-day Kindergarten program are successful strategies to help children.

Please call members of the Executive Appropriations Committee and ask them to:

• Continue to invest $15 million in the K-3 Reading Improvement program.
• Re-invest $7.5 million in the Optional Extended-day Kindergarten program.
• Both are critical programs that helps close the achievement gap and ensures that all Utah students ready to learn.

If you would like to read more about Optional Extended-day Kindergarten you can review Voices for Utah Children’s fact sheet before making your ask.