Tools4Schools provides free classroom supplies for nearly 11,000 teachers in N.C.'s largest school district
OFFICIALS SAY THERE IS NO
DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
WELL, IT IS BACK-TO-SCHOOL
SEASON AND WAKE. ED PARTNERSHIP
IS HELPING MAKE SURE THAT
TEACHERS HAVE THE SUPPLIES THEY
NEED WITHOUT THE ADDED
FINANCIAL STRAIN AND KEITH POST
AND PRESIDENT OF WAKE ED
PARTNERSHIP. IT'S HERE WITH US
THIS MORNING TO TALK ABOUT HOW
THE COMMUNITY CAN ACTUALLY GET
INVOLVED WITH THE TOOLS FOR
SCHOOLS TO PRIVATE. RYAN.
GOOD MORNING MORNING. THANKS
FOR HAVING ME ON. THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE. THIS IS SO TALKING
ABOUT MONEY AND A LOT OF
TEACHERS. WE SEE REACH INTO
THEIR OWN POCKETS TO HAVE TO
PAY FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES.
SO TALK ABOUT WHY DO TEENAGE
TEACHERS NEED THESE DONATED
SUPPLIES SO MUCH? WELL, THAT
YOU'RE RIGHT. AND WHAT WE FOUND
IS THAT TEACHERS ARE ACTUALLY
SPENDING, BELIEVE IT OR NOT.
THAT'S $1000 A YEAR OUT OF
THEIR OWN POCKET. THEY DON'T
MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO BE
SPENDING THAT KIND OF DO THEY
SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WRITE.
SO WE STARTED TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS
3 YEARS AGO TO TRY TO FILL THAT
GAP SO THAT TEACHERS WOULD HAVE
WHAT THEY NEED FOR THEIR
STUDENTS.
>> WITHOUT HAVING TO DIG INTO
THEIR OWN POCKET. AND SO, YOU
KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S
NOT ENOUGH FUNDING COMES FROM
THE STATE AND THEN YOU SEE FROM
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO THOSE
ALL WRECKED BY TRIPLE DOWN INTO
WHERE THE TEACHERS ARE. AND
THAT KIND OF LEADS ME INTO THE
NEXT QUESTION. PEOPLE MIGHT
SAY, WELL, WHAT ABOUT THE
SCHOOL SYSTEM? WHAT ABOUT THE
STATE? WHY ARE THEY NOT
PROVIDING THE MONEY FOR THOSE
TEACHERS? THEY THEY DON'T
PROVIDE ENOUGH, RIGHT? SIMPLY
PUT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAS
CUT SCHOOL SUPPLIES, BUDGETS
AND HALF IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.
AND SO THAT MAKES A BIG
DIFFERENCE. AND THAT ALL
HAPPENED AT THE SAME TIME THAT
WE'VE SENT INFLATION AND THINGS
ARE GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE.
AND THEN WE'VE GOT FAMILIES
THAT ARE STRUGGLING. THE
STUDENTS ARE COMING TO SCHOOL
WITH LESS SUPPLIES THAT THEY
NEED. AND WE ARE TEACHERS SAY
ABOUT 80% OF THEIR KIDS SHOW UP
ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
WITHOUT THE BASIC SUPPLIES THAT
THEY NEED FOR THAT DAY. AND SO
THAT'S WHAT THIS IS REALLY FOR
US TO MAKE SURE THE KIDS HAVE
WHAT THEY NEED. YEAH, THAT'S
A WAKE-UP CALL. WHEN YOU CAN'T
EVEN COME TO SCHOOL WITH A
NOTEBOOK, RIGHT? HANDS
ACTUALLY.
>> SO TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT FOR
TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS, NOT ONLY FOR
THE TEACHERS, BUT LIKE WE WERE
JUST TALKING ABOUT THE STUDENTS
AS WELL. YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S A
STRESSFUL THING. I MEAN, I
MEAN, WE WERE GROWING UP.
IT WAS ALWAYS A BIG DEAL.
YOU GO OUT, YOU KNOW,
BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPING WITH
YOUR FOR YOUR FAMILY, BUT NOT A
LOT OF FAMILIES CAN AFFORD
THAT. AND SO SINCE WE OPENED
THIS INTO 2022.
>> WE'VE GIVEN AWAY 1.6 MILLION
DOLLARS AND FREE SCHOOL
SUPPLIES. AND THAT'S BECAUSE
THIS COMMUNITY IS AWESOME.
THEY'RE GENEROUS. THEY COME
OUT AND SUPPORT TOOLS FOR
SCHOOLS. THEY DONATE SUPPLIES.
THEY DONATE CASH. THEY SHOP OUR
AMAZON WISH LIST. AND SO
THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS OF THIS
COMMUNITY HAS REALLY HELPED.
AND THE TEACHERS NOT ONLY DOES
IT TANGIBLY GIVE THEM SOMETHING
I CAN TELL YOU FROM TALKING
THEM IN STORE. IF THAT MEANS A
LOT THAT THEY FEEL APPRECIATED.
WOW. YEAH, NO, I'M SURE.
WHAT'S THE GOAL FOR THIS YEAR?
SUPPLY DRIVE IS A DIFFERENT
THAN ANY OTHER YEAR. THE GOAL
IS SIMPLE IS REALLY JUST TO
MAKE SURE THAT OUR WAREHOUSE IN
OUR STORE STOCKED WELL ENOUGH
FOR THEM IN THE TEACHERS COME
BACK, YOU KNOW, BACK TO
YEAR-ROUND SCHOOL JUST STARTED
THIS WEEK. SO TEACHERS ARE
ALREADY BACK IN SCHOOLS.
WE WANT TO HAVE ALL THE
SUPPLIES THEY NEED WHEN THEY
WHEN WE REOPEN FOR THE NEW
SCHOOL YEAR IN JUST A FEW
WEEKS. SO PEOPLE AT HOME MIGHT
BE THINKING, OK, I WANT TO
HELP. I WANT TO JUMP AND HOW
CAN THEY DO SO WHAT SHOULD THEY
BUY? WELCOME TO WAKE A DOT ORG
AND YOU CAN LOOK FOR TOOLS FOR
SCHOOLS. WE HAVE A LIST OF OUR
MOST SHOP ITEMS THAT OUR
TEACHERS NEED. YOU CAN SHOP ON
AMAZON. THERE'S A WISH LIST
THERE. MINUTES ALL ACROSS THE
BOARD IS DRY. ERASE MARKERS IN
EXPO MARKERS AND CRAYOLA
MARKERS AND PAPER POSTED NOTES
AND RELEASES THE THINGS THAT
THIS STUDENTS NEED. HEADPHONES.
THAT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT
THE KIDS GO THROUGH THERE.
PRETTY ROUGH ON USE DEVICES
NOW. SO, YES, THOSE ARE THINGS
THAT WE HAVE BOB BUYING ON
AMAZON FOR THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO REALLY, YOU BUY THE SUPPLIES
OR SEND THEM TO US AND ALSO
MAKE DONATIONS. WE HAVE A
WONDERFUL FOUNDATION, THE FOR
OTHER SALVATION, WHICH IS
DOUBLING EVERY DONATION.
OH, MY GOODNESS. THIS IS
INCREDIBLE. I HOPE I WISH YOU
ALL THE BEST AND SUCCESS GOING
FORWARD WITH THIS. KEEP GOING
BECAUSE THE STUDENTS, THE
TEACHERS, THEY REALLY NEED YOU
GUYS AND YOU HELP THEM OUT.
SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
YES, KEEP AUSTIN, THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US. THANK YOU.
APPRECIATE IT. AND THE
COMMUNITY SUPPLY DRIVE RUNS
JULY 9TH THROUGH AUGUST 22ND.
THE SUPPLY DRIVE FEATURES
PUBLIC DROP-OFF LOCATIONS.
>> ACROSS WAKE COUNTY AGAIN,
YOU CAN FIND ALL OF THE DETAILS
AND WAKE ED DOT ORG. DURHAM,
PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS HOSTING ITS
ANNUAL COUNTDOWN TO
KINDERGARTEN EVENTS. TODAY,
PARENTS WILL GET THE CHANCE TO
LEARN AND QUICK QUESTION ABOUT
THE KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
AND ENROLLMENT PROCESS. THE
EVENT WILL BE AT THE MUSEUM OF
LIFE AND SCIENCE ON WEST MURRAY