KTVN: United Readers program forced to make cuts after president cuts AmeriCorps grants

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2 News Digital Team

AmeriCorps is an independent federal agency tasked with engaging Americans in community-based services that directly address the country's educational, public safety and environmental needs.

The United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra has had to make massive cuts to its United Readers early literacy program after losing $700,000 in funding.

The organization was forced to dismiss 40 mentors after AmeriCorps cut $400 million in funding nationwide.

In northern Nevada, $100,000 in AmeriCorps funding was cut for the ‘24-’25 school year, and $600,000 was cut for the ‘25-’26 school year, according to a release from UWNNS.

The notice of AmeriCorps grant termination was received early Monday morning, resulting in an emergency meeting Monday afternoon to tell mentors.

Mentors cannot claim unemployment due to AmeriCorps ineligibility. Additionally, they will not receive their full education award or living allowance.

Only 41% of Nevada’s third graders are reading at grade level, and just 33% are proficient in math, according to the release.

Since launching in 2019, United Readers has served over 2,400 students across 25 elementary schools, providing trained literacy mentors who deliver one-on-one and small-group support to build core reading and math skills.

Last school year, the program demonstrated an average of 2.5 levels of proficiency growth, with a one-level increase in the literacy of 91% of the 643 children served.

"The need for strong, targeted intervention has never been greater," said Blake Pang, CEO and President of United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra, in the release. "United Readers is not an inefficiency — it’s essential for closing the achievement gap and securing a better future for Nevada’s children."

Meanwhile, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has joined a lawsuit as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two states challenging the Trump administration’s termination of AmeriCorps grants and an 85% reduction of its workforce.

"This illegal action by the Trump administration has terminated AmeriCorps programs throughout Nevada, including educational programs for our children in Las Vegas, Reno and the rural areas of our state,” said AG Ford in a statement. “The Trump administration does not have the legal ability to dismantle this agency unilaterally. Congress has created AmeriCorps to give Americans the ability to help their communities during times of need, and the president cannot handwave away the decisions of Congress.”

For its part, the White House on Tuesday pointed to improper payments reported by AmeriCorps as a reason for cuts.

The White House claimed those payments totaled over $40 million in 2024 and attributed them to insufficient documentation from grantees, calculation errors, and miscoded expenses.

“President Trump has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch,” Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, said in an email.

In light of the funding loss, UWNNS is asking the community for help in funding the immediate continuity of United Readers through the end of the current school year and for the continuation of the program beyond that.