Districts dole out money for classroom supplies based on priorities, needs

A teacher's room in not complete without stimuli. Whether it is a colorful alphabet running across a dry erase board, informative posters displaying basic grammar skills or unique furniture tucked away in a reading nook, it takes a lot to get a classroom ready for an upcoming school year.

When it comes to folders, notebooks, diagrams and globes, the money to furnish a classroom has to come from somewhere.

Jackson School District CFO Wade Bartels said the district doles out money to teachers to use for their classrooms and students using a zero-based budget approach.

The approach requires teachers to submit a request for funds to their school's principal, and the principal then submits a number to Bartels based on what the teacher's needs are. Bartels looks at the "big budget picture from there," he said.

There are no dollar amounts designated to each teacher, and money is distributed based on the priorities of teachers' needs and the district's needs, Bartels said.

Different classrooms require different materials, and some classrooms need things quicker than others.

"It just depends on the needs of each classroom and the needs of each teacher," he said.

School supplies and classroom materials and decorations all are included in the same budget, Bartels said.

"I think it works well because we make sure all the need are met, or at least the best that we can," he said.

Dr. Sherry Copeland, superintendent of the Cape Girardeau Public School District, said the district also uses a zero-based budgeting system, and teachers prioritize their needs based on a scale of need. No. 1 priorities are critical needs, or funds needed for something a teacher cannot teach without, and the scale goes down to what would be nice to have if funds are available.

"It depends on the content area, it depends on the teacher," Copeland said of supplies required for different classrooms.

Copeland said elementary school teachers use more decorations in classrooms when compared to high school teachers, and she is seeing more Pinterest and do-it-yourself projects in the classrooms of elementary teachers.

"Teachers work all through the summer to get their classrooms ready," she said.

Funds available in the budget then are prioritized from a district standpoint based on what teachers need and what school buildings need. Copeland said building needs require more funds because their costs are higher when it comes to air conditioning and sound system technology.

Perry County, Mo., School District superintendent Scott Ireland said his school district uses a similar classroom funding approach, of which he has never had problems.

Ireland said the requests can include anything a teacher needs for their classroom and are reviewed first by the school's principal and then by the superintendent's office. The superintendent's office reviews the requests and distributes money based on priority.