Several rural areas in the region are losing literacy outreach co-ordinators and that's going to harm communities, says Cara Holmstrup, Logan Lake's co-ordinator.

"While the grassroots type of literacy work we do in small and rural towns may be hard to measure - it is important!" stated Holmstrup in a letter to the Kamloops-Thompson School District board.

The town will lose such beloved programs as Parent-Child Mother Goose as well as important adult literacy initiatives.

"We know that helping even one person helps our entire community," said Holmstrup.

She added that the one-to-one children's programs in schools have had "dramatic improvement in the reading abilities of many of our students."

And although the Ministry of Education expects annual district literacy plan updates, affected communities will no longer have anyone to do that work.

The reason for the loss is the Decoda Literacy Solutions decision to cut funding to 55 of its 102 literacy task groups throughout the province. That decision impacts about 200 communities.

The non-profit states it couldn't maintain its capacity after the Ministry of Education halved the funding. A $2.5-million grant provided in 2010 and 2011 was reduced to $1 million in 2012 and 2013.

In the Kamloops-Thompson School District, the loss is felt by Clearwater, Logan Lake, Chase and Barriere.

Trustee Cara McKelvey brought the issue to the board's attention earlier this month and last week chair Denise Harper wrote to Decoda to ask why there was no consultation.

"Our rural children do not have the same access to programs available to urban pre-schoolers," she wrote.

"We would like to know why these cuts were made to our most vulnerable children in the communities that need the resources the most."

A spokesperson from Decoda could not be reached.

However its website states money is allocated "where there is the potential for ongoing funding through partnerships."

They specify partnerships with Postmedia Foundation's Raise a Reader campaign as well as Thompson Creek Metals, the Forest Legacy Foundation and the Columbia Basin Trust.

The website also states Decoda is committed to finding more funding.

"Our admiration for the tremendous amount of literacy work that is being done in every community across this province is unwavering," it states.

A letter from Education Minister Don McRae to Decoda dated March 6 of this year points to "tough financial times" and a commitment to balance the budget.

"I continue to work on resolving the financial shortfall that Decoda and their networks face," states McRae's letter. "I am determined that the current challenges with funding for Decoda can be resolved in the next 30 days."