Superintendent pledges to make every student a reader, cites research that 95% can learn

The superintendent told the board that "Cognitive and education science tell us every single day that 95% or more of children can learn to read at or near grade level," framing literacy as the district's primary mission.

Speaking from three decades in the classroom, the superintendent said literacy is a professional and moral imperative: "What you're engaged in right now is the heel that I'm willing to die on as your superintendent." They said reaching that goal would "unlock the future of South Kansas City," arguing that giving students "the foundational keys to literacy" will "break cycles" and "build leaders."

The superintendent emphasized that learning to read "should happen in our classrooms," and that success requires partnership "between home and school, district and school, community partners and school." They said the outcome should not depend on "a stroke of luck or an extraordinary sacrifice from home."

The statement closed with a call to make the district "truly truly a school district in which every single child becomes a reader," positioning that objective as central to the district's promise of public education and a benchmark for future work. The board's next steps, specific programs, timelines and any formal actions on literacy initiatives were not specified in the recorded remarks.