solanco school district was awarded a $443,069 competitive literacy grant. it is targeted at improving reading skills birth through 12th grade. the district was required to develop a lengthy literacy plan, which included outreach into the community. the funds come from a striving readers comprehensive literacy grant, also referred to as the keystones to opportunity grant it is a five-year, competitive federal grant program designed to assist local education agencies in developing and implementing local comprehensive literacy plans. of the 329 pre-applications by school districts reviewed by the pennsylvania department of education, solanco school district was one of only 148 entities that were invited to submit a full application. in lancaster county 4 public school districts were awarded funding for one year, with manheim central school district receiving the most - $1 million. the funds must be used for teacher training, student screening and assessment, targeted interventions for students reading below grade level and research-based methods of improving classroom instruction and practice. districts must hire literacy coaches. the coaches work with classroom teachers to enhance their literacy teaching skills. pennsylvania was among six other states, out of the 35 that applied, to be awarded funding. pennsylvania received $38 million through the federal program. the department of education reserved 5% of the grant for administration costs at the state level. the top pennsylvania grant recipient was pittsburgh school district which was awarded $1,9983,014.