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SALT LAKE CITY — One thing about the state of education that never seems to change: Utah teachers spending money out of their own pockets for supplies. Many of them are now turning to grant contest to help cover the costs.
Whether it's supplies or sanitizer; pencils or paper; Kleenex, copies or crayons; teachers need them for their classes — even if they have to pay out of their own pockets.
"I don't want to scare myself by keeping track of how much," one teacher said.
According to a trad group for education product companies, teachers spend an average of $350 to stock their classrooms each year. KSL 5 TV's Facebook followers said they do that and more.
"I also make some copies at home because I'm limited in how many I can make at school," Deborah Bennion said.
"I spend at least $50 every month. More when I have it," Anelise Rogers wrote.
- DonorsChoose.org. An online charity connecting you to classrooms in need.
- Fuel Your School. Energy for Learning — a Chevron initiative.
- School Supplies Gift Program. Seeking to enrich Utah's classrooms by lending a helping hand to exceptional teachers.
- NEA Grants for Educators. Supporting new ideas and practices to strengthen teaching and learning.
- Adopt a Class. Help is closer than you think.
Lisa Ashby said, "If I wanted an extraordinary lesson I had to pay extra out of my own pocket."
"Whatever happened to parents providing for their children?" questioned Raylene Hallman.
In fact, many parents do donate and supplement class supplies. "They need all the help and support they can get," Nickie Albert said.
Many teachers like Jessica Sellers enter a growing number of grant contests. As the winner of this Chevron's Fuel Your School competition, her classroom received a bunch of needed supplies.
The Utah Legislature provides roughly $175 to each teacher for supplies — a huge help, teachers acknowledge. But leaders at the Utah Education Association say this is a long-term problem that unfairly burdens educators.
"You're asking a painter to paint a masterpiece, and then withholding the paint from him," said UEA president Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh. "And that's what our teachers do every day."
Teachers and parents want kids doing hands-on projects, Gallager said, but those are the ones that require supplies.
