First, from the great state of Delaware:
TEACHERS SPEND OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS TO PREPARE CLASSROOMSTeachers nationwide spend an average of $475 of their own money on classroom supplies and materials each year, according to a study prepared by Quality Education Data Inc. for the last school year. The biggest portion of that spending is for first day of class preparation, reports Edward L. Kenney in The News Journal (Del.). When school districts go through tough financial times, especially in districts facing a triple-punch of spiraling energy and health care costs and, often, failed referendums, teachers sometimes have to spend a little more. But veteran educators look for summer sales to spruce up their classrooms and motivate children, and hoard supplies during good years to make things last during bad ones. The lower the grade, the more teachers tend to spend. Some teachers save receipts because they are allowed to deduct up to $250 on their federal income taxes.
And, from West Virginia:
SCHOOLS MUST PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES
Teachers can provide parents with lists of supplies their child may want to have at school, but they can’t require them to buy anything essential to their education, according to a new statewide policy, reports the Associated Press. The West Virginia Board of Education outlined the policy in a memo to county school boards just in time for back-to-school shopping. State Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine said any textbooks, paper, writing utensils and other materials that are an “integral, fundamental part of the elementary and secondary education” must be provided free. Non-essential items that are commonplace in schools, such as backpacks, tissues and hand sanitizer, are not considered integral, Paine said. Schools also can request that any additional equipment needed for performance-based classes, such as band, orchestra and dance, be provided by parents. However, if a student can’t afford to buy instruments or costumes, the county school system must have a plan in place to allow the student to participate. No child, Paine said, can be denied participation in any curricular offering because his or her family is poor. Before the policy, use of school supply lists varied from county to county based on local interpretation of a 1995 state Supreme Court opinion, Randolph County Board of Education v. Adams. The state policy is “in alignment” with the high court’s opinion, Paine said.
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Hello. This appears to me to be an attempt to defund public education. If the purpose was to earmark public funds already destined for public education, that could serve the purpose of involving teachers, parents, students and the general public in how the funding for public education is directed. Moreover, your efforts do not address the serious problem of inequitable distribution of tax dollars to schools - which currently depends largely on local economies and county resources. Please say whether you considered influencing the distribution of existing funding when you conceived of your .org, and whether part of your intention is to advance private or corporate funding of public education as an alternative to public funding. Thanks, jeroboambramblejam
Comment by jeroboam bramblejam — Apr 9, 2008 @ 5:57am
Jeroboam Bramblejam,
Like you, we believe that public school funding is not distributed equitably, and we also believe that DonorsChoose.org has a vital role to play in righting this injustice.
Many of the classroom projects on our website go beyond what you would expect the school system to underwrite: a field trip to Washington, D.C., therapeutic horseback riding for disabled students, waders to maintain a salmon hatchery, etc. Just as many teachers, however, request essential resources like books, paper, and desks. These projects expose our website visitors and donors to a vivid message of need in our public schools. For example, Jim Hunt, former governor of North Carolina, once saw a proposal for dictionaries that had been submitted by a teacher in his home county. He was deeply troubled to think that a North Carolina classroom could lack such an essential resource and immediately contacted school officials to find out why.
A survey of over 1,000 donors shows that many others have found DonorsChoose.org to be an equally eye-opening experience:
- 70% of donors reported that this was their first ever donation to public schools.
- 60% of donors reported that their DonorsChoose.org experience had increased their interest in the state of public schools today.
- 21% of donors reported that their DonorsChoose.org experience had increased their commitment to voting in an election or referendum.
Rather than letting government off the hook, DonorsChoose.org energizes and awakens the general public to the needs of public schools in low-income communities.
Comment by DonorsChoose.org — Apr 14, 2008 @ 4:05pm