City Elementary Teachers Turn to Donations to Close Classroom Supply Gap

With education budget increases scarce and state aid to Connecticut schools on the decline, some elementary school teachers in Middletown have turned to online donor appeal websites to help close the gap between students's needs and available project funds.

When the common council approved a $76.47 million school budget earlier this month, the $3.9 million approved was much lower than the $5.3 million request and the difference, some members of the board of education say, will leave no choice but layoffs and severe cutbacks on every level.

Both Van Buren Moody and Commodore Macdonough Elementary schools in Middletown have joined classroom campaigns throughout the state on DonorsChoose.org, which vets proposals, collects accumulated donations and purchases the materials and ships them directly to classroom teachers.

It's a way to solicit donations — some as small as $1 — toward project requests like copy paper, electric pencil sharpeners, iPods for literacy, Time for Kids subscriptions, cash registers and projectors.

Kindergarten through grade 12 public schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including public charter schools and 70 percent of projects are successfully funded. If a partially funded project expires, donors get their donations returned as account credits, which they can use to choose a new project to support; have DonorsChoice.or choose a new project for them; or send the teacher they supported a DonorsChoose.org gift card.

Right now, Mrs. Howe's technology project at Van Buren Moody Elementary School in Middletown is seeking support.

Some of her 15 students are "academically average, some are performing above average and many struggle. All of my students require differentiated lessons and enrichment activities at their own levels of performance. Having access to the many wonderful iPad apps that provide academic enrichment may be just the thing some of my students need to succeed and grow academically," Howe writes in her posting.

She needs $1,005 for the project to succeed.

In 2012, Mrs. Byrne's same two iPod project was successful at Moody, raising the necessary $1,005 to purchase the devices.

Ms. Currier at Macdonough School has raised $392 from nine donors.

"My students attend a title 1 school in an urban neighborhood. …The students I teach are in grades K-2. They all have different interests that set them apart and make them special," her request reads.

She's seeking donations for classroom furniture, a rug, book rack, and new table, a total project cost of $1,018 and the drive has $769 to go, after gifts from 13 donors.

To browse all of Macdonough School's wish list projects, see here.


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