MILWAUKEE — Just like our kids, Milwaukee teachers are getting ready to head back to the classroom. For many, that means dipping into their own funds to buy classroom supplies, something the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation says 90% of teachers do nationwide.
This year, the foundation launched the Classroom Support Fund to help teachers in the district with those costs.
"At the very least we can't have those 5,000 teachers digging in their own pockets just to put things up around their classrooms, just to get a kid a soccer ball, just to make sure you have the supplies you need to teach your classroom," said Andy Nelson with the foundation.
In the first year of the fund, 25 MPS schools will be able to buy supplies through it, including MLK Elementary. The foundation is partnering with EZ Office Products so teachers can shop for supplies online throughout the school year.
Anesia Hayes, the Principal at MLK Elementary, said the fund is extremely helpful to educators.
"Teachers go out of their pockets to replace supplies and make sure that everyone in the classroom has everything that they need to sustain their learning and continue with their growth," Hayes said.
Hayes started as a paraprofessional at the school before becoming a teacher and working her way up to principal. So, she knows just how much teachers give to their students each and every year.
"It is definitely a financial burden for our leaders to come out of pocket to provide for our scholars, but they do what they have to do to make sure that our scholars have what they need," Hayes said. "Teachers always have to make those conscious decisions on helping the scholars or doing things for their personal selves."
With the fund, they won't have to make those kinds of decisions anymore.
"This will open so many doors for our scholars to be able to experience things that they may not have been able to experience otherwise," Hayes said.
The MPS Foundation started the fund with a $40,000 donation from Educators Credit Union. But, to sustain the Classroom Support Fund throughout the school year and to expand it in future years, it will need community support.
"MPS, whether you have your kid in a school or not, is the future of Milwaukee," Nelson said.
You can donate to the fund online by clicking here.
Jammin' 98.3 will be hosting a radiothon August 24-25, listeners can call in to donate to the fund during that. And there is also a fundraiser Friday night at Third Space Brewing Company and will feature music from MPS alum and musician Emmitt James.
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