Funds have been raised to move forward with a summer reading pilot study dedicated to assisting school districts in helping young students who struggle to read. The governor’s office said today that more than $1.3 million have been raised to cover the more than $1.9 million cost of the 2016 Intensive Summer Reading Program pilot study. The largest private donation, $750,000, was made by the Richard O. Jacobson Foundation. Other contributors include the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Board of Regents. Nearly 25 percent of third-graders did not read proficiently in 2014-2015 on state tests. Beginning in 2017, school districts around Iowa will be required to provide high-quality summer reading programs for students with difficulty reading at the end of third grade.