Adopt-A-Teacher puts funds into school classrooms

Due to increasing economic hardships, schools are being forced to cut back on funding given to teachers to purchase supplies for the classroom. In the past, public school teachers were allocated up to $525 per teacher for their classroom expenses for the school year. In some cases, the allocation fee is now less than $100 per teacher, forcing those teachers to pay the classroom expenses themselves.

Concerned citizens in Southeast Alabama have formed a non-profit organization, The Foundation for Education and Teaching (F.E.A.T.), to provide for the shortfall of funding for public schools and their teachers in the region. The goal of this foundation is to provide money to public schools in Southeast Alabama

The first project of F.E.A.T. is the Adopt-A-Teacher program, which seeks to directly help teachers improve the teaching aids they use in their classrooms.
Mike Schmitz, Chairman of F.E.A.T., expressed concerns for our students and teachers while speaking to a group of community members and foundation supporters at the new Hillcrest Elementary School site in Enterprise. “We recognize we are all experiencing financial hardships in our personal lives, our businesses, within our local communities, within our state, and throughout the nation,” Schmitz said.

Schmitz acknowledges that we are all being forced to cut back on expenses and to do without some of the luxuries.

“Our educational system is one of the areas that cannot be allowed to do without. We are not talking about luxuries. We are talking about necessities including ink cartridges, paper, copies, and sometimes even workbooks,” he said. “Our greatest asset is our children. We are making an investment in their future.”

The Adopt-A-Teacher campaign will support public school teachers in Houston, Coffee, Geneva, Covington, Dale, and Henry counties. The campaign kicks off on Monday, April 20, 2009 and will conclude on July 20, 2009, as teachers are preparing to head back to the classroom for the new school year.

Each school system will have Educational Advocates for the Adopt-A-Teacher campaign. The advocates will be responsible for assisting their own community in raising the funds necessary to give each teacher a $100 gift card for the purchase of classroom supplies. As each school system reaches its goal, the public school teachers in that system will receive their gift cards to be spent at local businesses selling teacher supplies.

Teacher Tools, a local store for teacher supplies, is offering an additional 25% discount on their teaching aids and supplies in order to stretch the value of the $100 card.

“We’ve been blessed by Teacher Tools participation and we’re grateful to have them involved,” Schmitz added.

Amanda Nelson, Executive Director for F.E.A.T, expressed her excitement for the Adopt-a-Teacher Campaign. “This is a real opportunity for communities to support their schools and their children. When this campaign has reached its intended goal, additional school needs will be funded on an as needed basis,” she said.

For more information about the Foundation for Education and Teaching or to make a contribution to the Adopt-A- Teacher campaign, please contact Nelson at (334) 347-2275. Beginning on April 20, 2009, contributions to Adopt-A- Teacher can be mailed to: FEAT Foundation, P.O. Box 312532, Enterprise, AL 36331.