Crowdsourcing effort aims to supply 2,600 Tucson teachers with classroom tools

Triple-digit temperatures have settled in and monsoons are on the horizon, which means it’s time to think about back-to-school shopping. Tucson Values Teachers is offering a new twist on the old tradition with its Tucson Supplies Teachers program.

Started nine years ago, Tucson Supplies Teachers has grown into the region’s largest school-supply drive. Several years ago it switched from collecting physical supplies to garnering donations to purchase gift cards that teachers use to buy basic tools and supplies necessary for classroom success.

In collaboration with Pima Federal Credit Union, Office Depot/Office Max and other community partners, Tucson Values Teachers has launched a two-month appeal to Tucsonans in hopes of raising the funds to purchase at least 2,600 $50 gift cards for teachers. All funds raised up to $55,000 will be matched by a donation from Pima Federal Credit Union, which has donated $317,000 to the cause over the past five years.

Since its inception, Tucson Supplies Teachers has raised more than $880,000 to funnel directly to local teachers; with the current appeal it hopes to boost that figure to $1 million.

“Historically about 3,600 teachers apply for assistance and we have only been able to support about 35 percent of those,” said Tucson Values Teachers COO Katie Rogerson. “We would love to support them all, and the more money we raise, the more gift cards we can give out. This crowdsourcing campaign is a great way for our community to show support and appreciation for teachers, and we’re grateful for Pima Federal Credit Union taking the lead.”

Andy Townsend, principal at Elvira Elementary School, said about two-thirds of the teachers on his staff have been recipients of assistance from Tucson Supplies Teachers. At Elvira, in the Sunnyside School District, 90 percent of the students receive free or reduced lunch — an indicator of poverty.

“Teachers flock to these opportunities because it allows them to save money that they would otherwise spend out of their own pockets,” Townsend said. “I think this is common, especially in schools with higher-need populations. We have some families that give their kids everything they need for school and try to help the teachers, but there are lots of families that are not able to do that.”

Rogerson said a 2015 study showed that teachers spend an average of $500 to $1,000 of their own money each year to outfit their classrooms with basic supplies, which can be a hardship since Arizona is ranked 50th nationwide for median wages for elementary teachers and 49th for secondary teachers. According to statistics compiled by Making Action Possible for Southern Arizona, Tucson fares even more poorly.

“When you compare Tucson to 11 other similar metro areas in the West, including Phoenix and Las Vegas, it is shocking to see that Tucson is ranked last. We are far below the national average for teacher wages,” Rogerson said.

Hence, the $50 gift cards provided by Tucson Supplies Teachers can be significant for teachers who need to purchase basic classroom supplies. Rogerson said if teachers take advantage of discounts offered through the Tucson Values Teachers Teacher Discount Card, they can stretch the $50 to upwards of $80 in supplies.

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“We are not talking about laptops, we are talking about supplies like pencils, notebooks, binders and paper that kids don’t have because of the poverty in our community,” Rogerson said.

“Many of these kids show up to school with nothing; lots of them haven’t even had breakfast.”

That is a common occurrence at Laguna Elementary School in the Flowing Wells School District, where about 96 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, according to sixth-grade teacher Angela Molina.

Molina, who received a Teacher of Excellence Award — accompanied by a $100 gift card to Office Depot/Office Max — from Tucson Values Teachers in May, said she exceeds the classroom supplies budget allotted by her school with the composition books, dry-erase boards/markers and other tools needed to teach math, science and other subjects.

“It all adds up: A little here and a little there,” Molina said. “I have stopped keeping track of what I spend because I love my job and I will make sure that my students have what they need to be successful. Fortunately I have my husband’s support, so I am able t spend extra money if need be.”

Molina emphasized that while many teachers feel under-compensated for the work they do, she believes organizations such as Tucson Values Teachers are a much-needed morale booster.

“Monetarily we may not feel appreciated as much as we should, but it is nice to know that there are these local organizations reaching out to support what we do,” she said. “And when I see how resilient my students are in spite of growing up in high-poverty neighborhoods and having so much going on in their lives, I know that for the most part they want to please and they want learn. That makes it worth it.”

Molina’s opinion is echoed by Jessica Howell, a third-grade teacher at J. Robert Hendricks Elementary School who has been a past gift-card recipient and was also a recipient of the Raytheon Leaders in Education Award in April.

“Often teachers say that teaching can be isolating, and with the state and local budgets there is not a lot of money for education,” Howell said. “Even though the gift card is a small gesture, I think it does make you feel valued.

“There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes at Tucson Values Teachers with providing professional and financial support, and I think it demonstrates how much our community supports our educators.”