The Jacksonville Public Education Fund is offering financial assistance to 15 Duval County schoolteachers so they can buy school supplies for their classrooms. l Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash.
Published on July 29, 2024 at 3:26 pm
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Duval County schoolteachers who need help paying for school supplies in their classrooms can apply for financial assistance from the Jacksonville Public Education Fund.
This is the first time the independent “think-and-do tank” has offered teachers financial assistance specifically for school supplies in the classroom.
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Fifteen teachers will receive $300 in financial assistance for their classroom. Teachers must be full-time in Duval County public or charter schools, must be in front of students for at least 75% of the school day, and need to apply before 5 p.m. Aug. 16. Teachers awarded the money will need to use it by Sept. 30.
The Jacksonville Public Education Fund says administrators and staff are not eligible to receive the funding.
Taj Johnson is the organization’s director of strategic initiatives. He says the organization has heard from teachers that it’s becoming more difficult to buy school supplies out of their own pocket, so they wanted to use a direct method of helping them in the classroom.
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How much a teacher spends on their classroom depends on how long they have been a teacher, he said.
“Most newer teachers spend between $600 and $700 a year on school supplies, but if they’re a more tenured teacher, you know they have stuff from previous years, they would spend upwards of about $300 to $500 in their classroom,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the funding for this financial assistance came from grants received by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund.
To apply for funding, go to JaxPEF.org.
In a separate event, News4Jax, is giving away a new car to a lucky school employee in the Jacksonville-area for their positive contributions to the community.
Students, parents, colleagues and community members are invited to nominate a teacher, administrator or educator who has gone above and beyond in their role. The school employees will be evaluated based on their effect on students, innovative teaching methods, community involvement and overall contribution to education, according to a news release from News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
Submissions can be made at News4jax.com until Aug. 11. A voting period will then take place between Aug. 12 and 25. to whittle down the nominees to four.
The winner will be picked by a panel of judges and will receive a new 2024 Hyundai Tucson in addition to being spotlighted on News4Jax.
