The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia is launching an ambitious campaign. It’s not only trying to raise money for city schools, but also trying to help students improve their reading skills. The goal of the “Right Books” campaign is to get the right books to kids at the right time. Officials say part of that effort involves making sure every classroom has a library. Tuesday morning’s fundraising effort at Clara Barton Elementary School in Feltonville kicked off with a read-a-thon.
The fund for the School District of Philadelphia is trying to raise $3.5 million by 2017 to match $10.5 million investments from the William Penn Foundation and the Lenfest Foundation. The dollars provide every kindergarten through third grade teacher with comprehensive literacy training. To have the maximum effect, they need the right books – and that’s where these libraries come in. It costs $5,000 to install a classroom library, and Tuesday morning’s read-a-thon raised enough money for two classroom libraries. Watch the full news clip from 6ABC.