Donations help teachers pay for class supplies
Staff writer
Paying for classroom supplies out of pocket is common for schoolteachers.
The National Education Association, the largest teachers’ union in the U.S., reported in 2022 that more than 90% of teachers spend personal money on classroom supplies like decorations, pencils, and books.
In Hillsboro, some community organizations have stepped up to ease the financial strain on educators.
Margaret Johnson, pastor at Hillsboro United Methodist Church, spearheads a program providing free supplies to elementary teachers.
“I know teachers; they all buy things out of their own pocket,” Johnson said. “We hope this helps ease their expenses.”
Originally from Wichita, Johnson has worked at the church for four years.
Parkview Mennonite Church runs a program that provides students with school supplies. The program was featured in the Record last month.
That program inspired Johnson to start her own for teachers in 2022.
The church solicits wish-lists from each teacher, which elementary school Principal Nathan Hiebert compiles into a final list sent to Johnson each spring.
“We provide a small list to them,” Hiebert said.
Each teacher’s requests are written on a paper apple clipped to two small Christmas trees at the back of the sanctuary.
Church members grab an apple or two and purchase the items.
Johnson estimated that between $800 and $1,000 was spent on gifts each year.
This year, about 90 items have been purchased for 20 different teachers, she said.
Purchases range from small and cheap — zip-sealing plastic bags, hand sanitizer, lollipops — to elaborate — wall tapestries, wireless glue guns, an electric whistle.
The most expensive request this year came from a gym teacher who asked for replacement wheels for the elementary school’s 30 scooter-boards.
The wheels cost several hundred dollars, Johnson said, but the church got it done.
A third-grade teacher once requested an exercise bike for her classroom, Johnson said.
It would have been used for kids to let out energy during class, but that was an item the church could not acquire.
“We’d have loved to have done it,” Johnson said. “I think it would have been really beneficial.”
Other community organizations also are pitching in to help the school system.
In addition to Parkview Mennonite’s program, Jayson Hanschu of American Family Insurance was host for a supply drive for middle and high school students Saturday.
Teachers receive different amounts to spend on school supplies. Amounts depend on grade level and subject.
“An English classroom versus a robotics classroom will have very different budgets,” Superintendent Clint Corby said.
Elementary teachers receive roughly $315 each year for classroom supplies and can petition for more.
“Some years, there may be a grade level that is doing a certain project that might need a little more,” Corby said. “They can make requests, and those are usually honored. … I can’t think of a time when we haven’t.”
Corby said teachers were reasonable with their requests, and sometimes overly hesitant to ask for new supplies.
“They’ll use something that’s broken longer than they should, when we can get them something to make teaching better,” he said.
Items received through United Methodist Church could be provided by the school, Corby said.
“It’s not like I’m telling them, ‘No, they can’t have it,’” he said.
Hiebert said the same thing.
“It’s not something that we ask,” he said. “It’s something that — there’s a culture within our community to invest in our kids.”
Both were grateful for the support from the church and wider community.
“We have businesses, churches, families that care about our kids and want to support our kids,” Hiebert said. “That’s one of the things I love about our school.”
United Methodist members have a few more days to bring in supplies.
On Monday, a group of volunteers will sort, bag, and deliver the gifts to each teacher’s classroom.
Shopping carts will roll down school hallways in an educational Christmas come early.
Johnson is looking forward to the day.
“It’s one of those ways that the church can support education,” she said. “That’s what we’re here for.”