CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — Teachers are often dipping into their own wallets to cover students’ school supplies when their families can’t and now one school district is hoping a redistribution of funds can help educators and families keep more in their accounts.
Bartow County said it will use federal COVID-19 funds to help with the lift.
“I think it'll help my classroom tremendously just having extra resources," Francie Brown, a teacher said. "We'll definitely go out and buy things for students if their family is not able to send in what they need."
Brown is a teacher at Clear Creek Elementary School said she is excited about how district leaders are using $22 million in federal COVID-19 funding. The county said it plans to buy a bulk of the supplies for elementary and middle school students.
“It'll help the students be better prepared and have all the resources they need and also help the families just taking a little bit of the financial burden off of them," Brown said.
The district announced this week it will cover supplies like paper towels, bleach wipes, loose-leaf paper, crayons, pencils, notebooks, and binders to save parents the hundreds of dollars families may be spending on school supplies each year. The price tag is expected to get higher as inflation continues to impact the economy.
“Binders can be get expensive, actually, and especially if you're buying for multiple children, so I know that'll be a good blessing to the families for sure," Brown said.
Graphing calculators, pencil boxes, headphones, backpacks, and lunch boxes aren't included. One parent said despite the limitations, she hopes the extra supplies bring her relief as she plans to shop for school supplies.
“It’s pretty pricy," Julie Harp said. "Some of the prices, they shock me."
Harp lives in Bartow County and says she knows all about expensive school supplies as a mom to three boys.
“It should have happened a long time ago. Like, I don't think parents should have to supply the classrooms because that's what we pay taxes for," Harp said.
She added that over the years, the request for school and classroom supplies have multiplied. Brown echoed her comments, adding that as an educator she knows firsthand how it can hinder students if they don't have everything they need to start of the school year right.
“When you have a list a mile long of all the other things that they have to have to be successful, sometimes those other ones get pushed to the side," Brown said. "This will allow for all students to have exactly what they need and to be prepared on the first day of school.”
11Alive reached out to four of metro Atlanta's largest school districts to see if they may consider using COVID-19 relief funds in a similar manner.
DeKalb and Fulton school districts responded saying they had other plans for their COVID-19 federal funding. In DeKalb, they’ve earmarked some of that money to do major renovations at its schools.