I have written on this many times before, without the prompt. I will likely write on it many more times. It’s one thing that cannot be overly stressed. Reason being, most of what most people learn will be from reading. When a person can’t read, or reads poorly, it will become a serious learning disability. Those that read well, read rapidly, and read with comprehension will always have the advantage over all of his peers.
Writing, speaking, math and science are all foundation subjects. However, it all starts with reading. Don’t get me wrong. History is very important but history is learned primarily through reading. That makes reading more important than history.
More importantly, it permits the truth to be easily hidden from those who can’t or won’t read.
As my aside, bear in mind, the importance of selecting the school for your children one of the most important decisions you will make for him. It makes your ability to make that choice very critical.
Even more so, anyone given the task of teaching reading should be immediately replaced if he doesn’t do it, regardless of why.
bfrhodes99 
I was always a good reader. I loved the SRA manuals (taught in Pasadena City Schools in ~1968-9) as I could read ahead with comprehension; in third grade grade I was reading at the 12th grade level.
My sons were assigned reading the whole class was working on. Now, one doesn’t read much at all; the other stopped after he finished the Harry Potter series – at least 15 years ago. My ex- never reads besides trade journals. I have 20 books by my bedside which I get to weed once a week.
Assigning the same reading to an entire class doesn’t let those shine who can nor does it meet kids where they are.