Warren County Literacy dissolves; board meeting records $12,777.83 donation to local school foundations

Warren County Literacy told the Warren County R‑III School District board Thursday that its board voted in January 2025 to dissolve the nonprofit and distribute its remaining funds to two local school foundations.

Amy Horton, vice president of Warren County Literacy, told the board the organization has served early-literacy programs since 2011, running a bookcase project and Dolly Parton—s Imagination Library locally until statewide funding changed the group—s role. Horton said the board voted to wind down operations in January 2025 and to distribute remaining funds evenly between the Wise Foundation (benefiting Warrenton schools) and the Blue and Gold Foundation (benefiting Wright City schools).

Horton presented a check for $12,777.83 to the Wise Foundation and said she and the literacy group worked with Doctor Greg Klingensmith, district superintendent, to identify classroom literacy programs across the Warren County R‑III School District that would benefit from the funds. Horton said the group intends the funds to be used for early-literacy classroom programs at the district—s discretion; she also said the board prepared an enclosed spreadsheet detailing proposed distributions.

Horton told trustees the organization presented 820 bookcases and distributed roughly 20,500 books through its bookcase program from 2011 until the program—s retirement in 2023, and enrolled 827 children in the Dolly Parton program locally from March 2020 to November 2023 before statewide funding changed local operations.

Superintendent Greg Klingensmith acknowledged having worked with the literacy board to identify classroom programs and thanked volunteers for the organization—s contributions.