EVERY CHILD IN SAVANNAH WHO CAN'T READ
IS ALREADY COSTING YOU.
The only question is whether you pay to fix it - or pay for the consequences.
$413,844
Minimum lifetime taxpayer cost per child
who leaves 3rd grade unable to read.
Why This Can't Wait
Savannah has a literacy crisis. The numbers are worse than most people know.
53.3%
$4B+
38 pts
$450M+
of SCCPSS 3rd graders read at grade level (Spring of 2025)
projected total taxpayer liability from students who could not read at grade level when they exited 3rd grade
gap between where we are and the 95% Moonshot goal
future taxpayer liability from this year's 3rd grade class alone
Each student who leaves 3rd grade unable to read will cost Chatham County taxpayers a minimum of $413,844 over their lifetime - through lost tax revenue, healthcare, incarceration, and public assistance.
This is not a projection. It is a calculation based on decades of documented outcomes.
Every resident of Chatham County is already paying for this problem. The question is whether we continue paying for the consequences - or invest in the solution.
What's Already Changed
SCCPSS is already changing. The evidence is real.
Science of Reading - 2023
SCCPSS shifted from balanced literacy to the Science of Reading - the evidence-based approach proven to produce proficient readers.
LETRS Training
Every K-5 teacher in the district has been trained in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS).
Formal Literacy Plan - Fall 2024
SCCPSS adopted a comprehensive, structured Literacy Plan — not an aspiration, an institutional commitment.
World Class Leadership
A combination of internal promotions and new external hires, supported by a comprehensive leadership and coaching training process.
State Funded Literacy Coaches
Starting in 2027, the State of Georgia will fund literacy coaches for SCCPSS - a direct investment in classroom-level reading support.
Best Literacy Results in Years
57% proficiency is not where we need to be. It is the highest it has been in years, and it is moving in the right direction.
How Culture Changes
The most important thing we heard in our research: the people of Savannah don't change their minds because of data. They change their minds because of people they trust. And Savannah is already choosing differently
I have the know-how. I have the financial backing to provide other educational choices for my child. And I have to be a voice for the kids who don't have that."
People who bash the schools but never set foot in them. Community members who actually recognize the great accomplishments of schools and students - there are many."
The community's biggest barrier isn't ignorance - it's disbelief. This series exists to close that gap with proof, not promises."
- Savannah Public School Parent
- Savannah Business Owner
- Initiative Research Finding
What We're Building
The Chatham Literacy Moonshot is a 5-year community campaign led by the Chatham Education Alliance to shift Savannah's relationship with public education - from resigned acceptance to active civic investment. The goal is specific: 95% of SCCPSS 3rd graders reading at grade level by 2031, up from 57% today.
This is not a school district initiative. It is a whole-community effort - because the data makes clear that every resident of Chatham County has a stake in whether Savannah's children can read.
Reading is how a person accesses everything.
And a city is only as whole as its people can be.
How Businesses Show Up
Every business in Savannah is already invested in whether children here can read - through taxes, through workforce, through the community you operate in every day. The Pledge makes that investment visible and intentional. This is not charity. This is Savannah's business community deciding to be part of the solution on the record.
Financial Commitment
Sponsoring tutoring programs, community reading initiatives, and literacy support for Savannah families who need it most.
Vocal Commitment
A public, named endorsement of the Moonshot. Your voice in your network, your platform, your community.
Operational Commitment
Internships, mentorships, literacy volunteers, school partnerships, business resources directed at the problem.
When Savannah Chooses
September 16, 2026
Chatham Literacy Summit
The Chatham Literacy Summit is the campaign's public launch moment - the day the community gathers to see the data, hear the proof, meet the people driving the change, and make a public commitment to 95% by 2031. Business pledge signatories will be announced. Episode 1 of the Radical Transparency Series premieres. Savannah decides what kind of city it intends to be.
How We'll Know It's Working
This page exists because accountability requires visibility. Every year, we will update these numbers - progress and setbacks alike.
Moonshot
Awareness
Community Confidence
in SCCPSS
Business Pledge
Signatories
3rd Grade
Reading Proficiency
2025: 13% general public
2023-2024: 57%
2025: 7% very confident
Updating
How You Can Help
The proof is being built right now.
Be the first to see it.
Sign up to receive updates as the campaign progresses - new data, new wins, new community voices. No noise. Just proof.
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