New school buildings aren’t the only things under construction throughout the county.

Teachers from across the Butler County School System arrived in hard hats at the BOE work session Thursday to spread the news: they want to Build Better Readers by a Billion this summer.

That’s a billion words across Butler County, to be accumulated by folks of all ages reading books, magazines and newspapers and keeping track of their progress via the BOE website www.butlerco.k12.al.us.

Readers are also encouraged to discuss their reading material with others.

This Horace Mann quote sets the tone for the project: “Resolve to edge in a little reading every day if it is but a single sentence. If you gain 15 minutes a day, it will make itself felt at the end of the year.”

Active readers can enjoy a countywide celebration set for August 14 at the Butler County Magnet School Practice Field with food, fun and games.

“We want everyone to realize the importance of reading, and being a life-long reader, and we hope this will encourage families to enjoy books together this summer,” said English teacher Naomi Pryor of Greenville High School.