LETTER: Reading in the Clark County School District

LAS VEGAS — July 18, 2026 — 9:01 p.m. Literacy remains a pressing concern in the Clark County School District, with only about 25 percent of precocious schoolhouse students projected to be proficient in speechmaking readiness on the ACT, according to the July 12 editorial. The writer asks how this outcome can persist despite years of financial investment and repeated attempts to address the shortfall. The letter cites the experience of Washington, D.C.’s struggling school system, which adopted the IMPACT teacher valuation program. That initiative reportedly boosted student achievement and teacher effectiveness by evaluating performance, awarding bonuses to high‑performing educators, and replacing low‑performing staff. The author notes that unions opposed the measure because it required them to meet the occupational expectations set forth by the program.