Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Excess books put to good use

School district accepts valuable donation

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By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

Lee Pesky Learning Center Executive Director David Holmes, left, and Blaine County School Superintendent Lonnie Barber celebrate a donation of more than 13,000 books to the school district. Photo by David N. Seelig

The Blaine County School District has received a donation of 13,378 books, valued at $75,175, through a special relationship with the Idaho Reading Foundation and the Lee Pesky Learning Center.

Blaine County School Superintendent Lonnie Barber and Lee Pesky Learning Center Executive Director David Holmes have been brainstorming about how to distribute the books, which are for kindergarten through middle-school-age children.

"An issue in education is poverty," Barber said. "A family living in a poverty situation with a total home income of under $30,000, there is an average of one book per child in a home."

The books are from publishers who have an excess of books and every year donate these books for education purposes. The Idaho Reading Foundation made arrangements to receive the books, which found their way to the Blaine County School District through the Pesky Center.

"The unique relationships with other education partners in the state of Idaho benefits Blaine County kids," Holmes said.

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Books will be distributed at Parent Nights as well as through other gatherings.

"If the kids are given a chance to read, they will take it," Barber said.

Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com