Petition to LAUSD: Preserve Funding for the Reading Decathlon Program
To: The Leadership of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
Subject: Keep Funding the Reading Decathlon Program
We, the undersigned students, parents, educators, alumni, and community members, call on LAUSD to continue funding the Reading Decathlon program and ensure that it remains accessible to schools across the district.
The Reading Decathlon program provides students with an opportunity to strengthen literacy skills, develop critical thinking, and build confidence through teamwork and academic competition. It encourages a love of reading while helping participants improve comprehension, communication, and analytical abilities—skills that benefit them throughout their education and future careers.
The program also teaches valuable competition skills that cannot easily be replicated in a traditional classroom setting. Students learn how to prepare under deadlines, manage pressure, think critically in a competitive environment, and work effectively as part of a team. They develop discipline, resilience, sportsmanship, and the ability to set and achieve challenging goals. These experiences help students become stronger leaders and more confident learners.
For many students, the Reading Decathlon is more than a competition. It creates a supportive environment where they can challenge themselves, collaborate with peers, and discover the value of perseverance and preparation. The program builds school pride and fosters meaningful engagement among students, teachers, and families.
At a time when literacy development remains a critical educational priority, reducing or eliminating support for the Reading Decathlon program would take away a proven opportunity for students to grow academically and personally.
We respectfully urge LAUSD to:
- Maintain and protect funding for the Reading Decathlon program.
- Ensure equitable access so that students from all schools can participate.
- Continue investing in literacy initiatives that promote academic achievement, healthy academic competition, and a lifelong appreciation for reading.
By preserving this program, LAUSD will demonstrate its commitment to educational excellence and to providing students with enriching opportunities that extend beyond the classroom.
We ask LAUSD to stand with students and families by keeping the Reading Decathlon program fully funded and ensuring that future generations have the chance to develop the literacy, teamwork, and competitive skills that this unique program provides.
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
June 17, 2026
41 Comments
Fomenting the love and enjoyment of reading contributes to building literacy skills and at the same time propel our youth to develop into well rounded citizens, if given the opportunity (the way to combat social media). Previous support and funding allowed to expand the reading program across zip codes but now it’s abruptly cut. Please reconsider and reinstate funding to a worthwhile reading program that yields so many lifelong literacy benefits along with personal development gains.
As the district is trying to improve students' literacy skills across all school sites, it is counterintuitive to cut funding for a program that encourages a love of literacy. Restoring funding to this program at all levels is imperative.
reading is an important part of gaining avid readers and continuing literacy for all students please consider keeping this going for our students who love reading.
These opportunities for our students are money well spent! Please fund this and others just like it!
This program is valuable because it encourages literacy in this new age of technology where reading is not as encouraged. With the literacy rates in this country plummeting, and attention spans decreasing rapidly through the nation due to the overconsumption of overstimulating short-form content, I find it more and more important to encourage the consumption of long form content like books which benefit children with information, increased attention spans, and encouraged imaginations.
My daughter is a middle school teacher and participated in Reading Decathlon with her students last year. She considers it to be of great benefit to the students and would like the opportunity for them to participate further.
It is important to encourage reading in our students.
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Petition to LAUSD: Preserve Funding for the Reading Decathlon Program
To: The Leadership of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)
Subject: Keep Funding the Reading Decathlon Program
We, the undersigned students, parents, educators, alumni, and community members, call on LAUSD to continue funding the Reading Decathlon program and ensure that it remains accessible to schools across the district.
The Reading Decathlon program provides students with an opportunity to strengthen literacy skills, develop critical thinking, and build confidence through teamwork and academic competition. It encourages a love of reading while helping participants improve comprehension, communication, and analytical abilities—skills that benefit them throughout their education and future careers.
The program also teaches valuable competition skills that cannot easily be replicated in a traditional classroom setting. Students learn how to prepare under deadlines, manage pressure, think critically in a competitive environment, and work effectively as part of a team. They develop discipline, resilience, sportsmanship, and the ability to set and achieve challenging goals. These experiences help students become stronger leaders and more confident learners.
For many students, the Reading Decathlon is more than a competition. It creates a supportive environment where they can challenge themselves, collaborate with peers, and discover the value of perseverance and preparation. The program builds school pride and fosters meaningful engagement among students, teachers, and families.
At a time when literacy development remains a critical educational priority, reducing or eliminating support for the Reading Decathlon program would take away a proven opportunity for students to grow academically and personally.
We respectfully urge LAUSD to:
- Maintain and protect funding for the Reading Decathlon program.
- Ensure equitable access so that students from all schools can participate.
- Continue investing in literacy initiatives that promote academic achievement, healthy academic competition, and a lifelong appreciation for reading.
By preserving this program, LAUSD will demonstrate its commitment to educational excellence and to providing students with enriching opportunities that extend beyond the classroom.
We ask LAUSD to stand with students and families by keeping the Reading Decathlon program fully funded and ensuring that future generations have the chance to develop the literacy, teamwork, and competitive skills that this unique program provides.
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
June 17, 2026
41 Comments
Reading Decathlon is near and dear to my heart, and so many students have found their confidence, voice, and friends through RD. We have a national literacy crisis, so cutting funding for a reading program that incentivizes literacy and makes reading fun makes no sense. District funding for Reading Decathlon allowed schools to equitably provide reading materials for all interested students and supported teachers/librarians in running such a phenomenal club and competition.
Fomenting the love and enjoyment of reading contributes to building literacy skills and at the same time propel our youth to develop into well rounded citizens, if given the opportunity (the way to combat social media). Previous support and funding allowed to expand the reading program across zip codes but now it’s abruptly cut. Please reconsider and reinstate funding to a worthwhile reading program that yields so many lifelong literacy benefits along with personal development gains.
As the district is trying to improve students' literacy skills across all school sites, it is counterintuitive to cut funding for a program that encourages a love of literacy. Restoring funding to this program at all levels is imperative.
reading is an important part of gaining avid readers and continuing literacy for all students please consider keeping this going for our students who love reading.
These opportunities for our students are money well spent! Please fund this and others just like it!
This program is valuable because it encourages literacy in this new age of technology where reading is not as encouraged. With the literacy rates in this country plummeting, and attention spans decreasing rapidly through the nation due to the overconsumption of overstimulating short-form content, I find it more and more important to encourage the consumption of long form content like books which benefit children with information, increased attention spans, and encouraged imaginations.
My daughter is a middle school teacher and participated in Reading Decathlon with her students last year. She considers it to be of great benefit to the students and would like the opportunity for them to participate further.
It is important to encourage reading in our students.
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Reading Decathlon is near and dear to my heart, and so many students have found their confidence, voice, and friends through RD. We have a national literacy crisis, so cutting funding for a reading program that incentivizes literacy and makes reading fun makes no sense. District funding for Reading Decathlon allowed schools to equitably provide reading materials for all interested students and supported teachers/librarians in running such a phenomenal club and competition.