Teachers need our support more than ever. A great way to support them is by donating to their classroom. As a former teacher, I know how much of their own money they put into providing the materials their students need. Donors Choose is a great way to help fund these costs!
From basic supplies like crayons to science experiment equipment, there are so many things you can choose to get a teacher to help fill their classroom with the things they need-and what can help their students succeed. We post local teachers needs on our Facebook Resource page each day. Find those below and help a classroom succeed!
“Utah Fits All Scholarships” have been awarded and expense lists have been approved.
Here is what just a few parents said they would be using the $8,000 per child “scholarship” for:
Did you know that the legislatures passed HB215 that gives $80 MILLION DOLLARS to 10,000 individual students in Utah and this is what they are using the money for? How is this a fiscally responsible use of tax payers money?
We asked teachers what they would do if they were given $8,000 for their classroom and how many students it would benefit and this is what they said:
• Love this question!!! Last year I was SO excited to receive a grant for $350. This was used to buy basic supplies I needed for my students (testing folders, pencil sharpener, etc.) because the funds I get from the state/school/district don’t cover even a fraction of the supplies our students need. The amount we are given as teachers is not near enough to cover basic supplies that our students need. I can’t even tell you how excited I was to have an additional $350 to spend on my class so I could stop spending my own money on them. Thinking of how much good $8,000 could do for a whole class of my 4th graders is mind-boggling! We have never been offered funds even close to this. We as teachers get a couple of hundred dollars and are told to use this to buy everything for a whole class for the whole year and we continue to make do with these crumbs of funds year after year. I just have a hard time understanding how all of a sudden there are MILLIONS of dollars that are available for homeschooled students, yet we public school teachers get a couple hundred dollars to cover 24 + students.
• Music teacher here. I would spend the money on new music, reeds, valve oil, and other needed supplies. I would also use the money maintain my teenager emergency kit (deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, tampons, pads, snacks- it’s in a cabinet in my room that all students have access to without asking for permission and no questions asked). Any left over money would be used to replace my chairs that are holding on by a thread. This would benefit 220 students per year.
• Books! I teach ELA to every student with a reading and writing IEP and about 25-30% of the students in each class are classified as ML. I need a variety of books that fit the diverse readers in my classroom—high interest/lower level, books in Spanish, books that reflect different cultures, etc. It’s crazy how much books cost. I’d also buy much needed supplies for my creative writing class so I can do the FUN lessons (eg. I do a lesson with play dough and have to buy 36 containers of play dough twice a year, it adds up! I have another lesson that utilizes legos which I have stolen from my kids.) I’d also invite an author to come speak (this often costs a little money!) and go on field trips related to the two subjects I teach. Pencils! I’d buy pencils because middle schoolers never freaking have a pencil! We read Hunger Games and we play our own version of the games and I could buy all of the supplies for that without spending my own money (plates, straws, skittles, toilet paper, Easter eggs, cups, etc). I could go ON and ON.
• So glad you asked! I’ve been thinking about this a lot. The first thing that comes to mind is field trips! I teach 4th grade, so learning about Utah is the social studies core. There are so many places I could take my class (the whole grade level) really with $8,000. The bus fees would be a breeze to afford!
We have to supply our own printing ink for our printers at school, so the $8,000 would help relieve that burden.
Of course, I could use $8,000 to buy books for my classroom, math manipulatives based on student needs, update my projector and screen to a more functional piece of technology (like a smart board) that students could use during instruction, etc.
Or, could I use the $8,000 to hire tutors to come to my classroom like the parents of this money could do? That would be powerful for my students!!
$8,000 for one class or one grade level in elementary school would be an absolute game changer.
I can’t believe the $8000 is being given to individual children and their parents are squandering it on passes to entertainment places and trampolines.
• Field trips! We went to the aquarium last year and out of 55 Kindergartens, only a handful of them had been before. It’s shocking how many kids don’t get the life learning because low income families can’t afford it. The shrieks and shrills and laughter and smiles and ah-ha moments are priceless!!
• Tests, speech-language subscriptions, speech-language supplies, things I spend my own money on……etc. This would cover around 120+ students that many are ML or title one students.
• Lab supplies!!!! Most of what came with my room is seriously outdated and/or broken.
• I would probably get a subscription to some math problem software that would give kids instant feedback on whether they’ve done the problem right, guidance if they haven’t done it right, and similar problems until they’ve mastered the skill, as well as giving me feedback on how students are doing and who needs more instruction. Would benefit about 60-120 kids depending on what I could find.
• It would benefit over 700 students since I teach Art for K-6. That’s an incredible increase from my yearly budget. I would buy sketchbooks, a good storage system for student artwork, printmaking supplies, several drying racks, drawing pencils, hi-poly erasers, markers, more light boards, clay, paint, an actual desk for me to use in my classroom, art related books, flexible seating options, adaptive art supplies for my students with disabilities, and other needed art supplies. I would also be able to have a cupboard for student emergencies (snacks, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc) and be able to get the supplies to have an actual calm down corner in my room.
This amount of money would be incredible because many of my students only have access to art supplies at school. And even if I split that amount with our music teacher, it would be an amazing investment in our school’s music and art program. It would be life changing for all of our students.
• Books! Why are we forced to do a donors choose just for books while they’re buying trampolines and karate lessons?
• Snacks (many of my students are food insecure), supplies, and field trips or immersive, project based learning opportunities. And as a High School teacher approximately 200 students a year.
• I buy lab supplies, and subscriptions to online programs for virtual labs. Many of our lab supplies are consumable. I would pay for our field trip $500 bus fee, Pay for our guest speakers etc.
• I teach computer science grades 1-6. I would buy more robotics and other experience items. It would benefit 750 kids!
• Physical education and yoga teacher. I received $300 for my yearly middle school PE budget less for my yoga budget to maintain equipment for 700 kids.
Rainbow DuraCoat Coated-Foam Dodgeballs
4.8 star rating. $ 94.95 for 6 balls. Gopher Sports. Can’t post the image.
This is one EXAMPLE of how expensive equipment is. Dodge balls get destroyed by the students. We remind the students all the time to please respect the equipment, but stuff still gets ruined. I go to second-hand stores to see if there are any good buys and there have been. Lots of teachers, admin, and parents think it is ok to go into my equipment room and just take stuff. Trust me, I have tried every avenue to have people not be able to enter my classroom supply closet. It is a classroom first, not a gym. Physical education should have a larger budget because the equipment gets used so much and brakes down faster because of the demands put on each item.
Physical education is a required core class just like math, etc. As a parent, teacher, and coach, it makes me extremely mad that physical education expectations have dropped. Kids NEED to have more art, music, drama, and PE in school! Let’s start teaching too the WHOLE CHILD instead of caring so much on data.
My kids are on a ski team. We don’t get reimbursed for ski passes, etc.
• Books! Books! Books! I’d buy high interest, diverse current fiction and non- fiction! I’d buy tons of graphic novels, manga and other “non- traditional” types of books that help reluctant readers get hooked on reading. I’m a librarian so it’d serve 2100 kiddos!
• This list is too endless. First the essentials proper coffee maker and supplies. Good VR gear would be nice (I teach Earth Science… hey kids want to explore a subduction zone), Furniture… For the love of all can I get tables that are not 20+ years old with wonky legs covered with the filth of the ages. Physical models of Earth so the can pick it up and manipulate it.
• I would buy at least 3 new instruments that would last for at least 20 years and benefit dozens of students through the years.
• Decodable books, science supplies, books, field trips (buses-cuz we aren’t in the city), art supplies, playground balls and jump ropes, colored printer and ink. Yup. All this I buy out of pocket if I want to do it. 2nd grade.
• A tuba (almost)! … Alternatively, that much could get me a bass, several flutes/clarinets/trumpets, and a saxophone or two. In either case, it’ll serve students for decades!
• I would by UTA on Demand passes to get students rides to and from school or to their jobs to help support their families. I would also buy some programs for our English learners. Math for English learners is difficult to translate programs to help. 30 to 60 students.
• Elementary music teacher here. I could have a classroom set of Orff instruments, drums, and music for our choir.
• With $8,000, I could significantly enhance the learning experience for three first grade classrooms. I would funds to purchase technology such as tablets and software to engage students in interactive lessons. Invest in hands-on science materials like kits for simple experiments and math manipulatives such as counting blocks and pattern tiles to support foundational skills. Additionally, set aside part of the budget for field trips that will broaden students’ horizons. This investment would directly benefit 60 current students and provide long-term advantages to future classes as well.
• 9th grade FCS teacher: I would buy new tables and flex seating options. Even teenagers want to be comfortable and need to wiggle. I would also buys books! So many books! Both picture books we use in child development and YA books they can read during down time I would also probably get a couple more reality works babies and a charging case.
• This is an absolutely mind-blowing way to frame this conversation. $8,000 is an INSANE amount of money to consider spending as a public school teacher! (And I’m a computer teacher–the tech I’d love to buy is $$$).
• ..well if I had $8000 per student I would hire a full-time aide. I would take them on more field trips. I would buy basic supplies like paper plates, that I often wind up spending my own money on. I would buy some fun things for students to do out on the playground.
• Oh my gosh, what an awesome question. I’d buy snacks and treats for all of my students. I spend my own money for these things anyway. I also spend my own money on colored copy paper, pens and folders. I’m at a high school where the need is great and I work with a lot of English language learners.
• I would prepare full sets of math fluency games for use across multiple classrooms. About 750 students would be affected.
• BOOKS!!!! I teach English and you have no idea how hard it is to get books for my classes. Plus, books go missing and get damaged every year but there is no budget to replace them. Add on top of that all the AMAZING novels that are written (and approved by the district) every year that kids would live to read as alternatives, but how am I going to pay for them? I could spend $8,000 so fast!
Add to that all my kiddos who need food (teen center helps so much) and I usually buy at least a couple of football players a dress shirt every year so they can “dress” on game days. I also have kiddos who could use a bus pass so they reliable transportation to and from school.
• Class sets of high interest, lower Lexile books. Coats, gloves, and extra shoes and socks. Snacks for those who miss breakfast. Good snacks, including juice and shelf milk that doesn’t go bad. Homework kits. More flexible seating options since those are so pricey. Weekend food kits for those with food insecurity. More books about inclusivity and representations of different cultures and family systems. Class hoodies or t-shirts. Field trips! That’s just off the top of my head.
• Books! I would purchase more copies of books for book clubs. There are so many great choices out there, and I’d love to diversify the genres. I’d love to have copies of graphic novels, poetry, historical fiction, sci-fic etc all on one main theme. I’d also love to have enough for the students to be able to check them out easily. I’d also love to have portable whiteboards around the room for students to collaboratively brainstorm.
• Bring back my school’s debate team, which was very successful, but always broke.
• Well, I wouldn’t spend it on piano lessons or gymnastics. Field trips, paper, card stock, copier toner, printer toner, a laminator, a spiral binding machine, a good paper cutter, class t-shirts, all the materials I need to teach Wit & Wisdom (a required program, and my district isn’t providing the necessary tools to teach it), materials for fun science experiments. The list goes on.
• We would do marching band scholarships for the kids who can’t pay. We want everyone to participate because it teaches so much about teamwork, family, not giving up, I could go on and on.
• I’d create a school store (jr high) and use it to teach the various concepts for my cca and business classes. Immediate impact would be about 540 students but provide something for the full 1000 students to use, learn from, and grow. I would try to develop a skills program for the ASC and essential element classes as well to prepare them with Job skills.
• Field trips. Hands on experiences. Science experiments. Class t-shirts. Robotics club. All those things I spend my own money on throughout the year. Playground activities. Extra coats and gloves.
• I was so stoked we got $500 in legislative money instead of $250 this year, but it goes too fast. My classroom I moved into had 0 supplies so I have to buy all the crayons, scissors, glue, pencil boxes, paper, paint, brushes, journals, name tags, tissues, band aids, etc. I had really hoped to buy a rug for reading time, but it’s a want and not a need, so another year. Pipe dream would be more field trip/experience money. Maybe just pay our paras and lunchroom workers more too.
• I would buy more musical instruments for students to play, like more pitched percussion, as well as a better way to store and organize the instruments.
• Oh my gosh!! What wouldnt I get. Class sets of books are at the top. A classroom aide would be
• I don’t think people understand what 8,000 in a school can do. I know I didn’t before I was a teacher. I would by a decent pair of headphones for every child. I would buy high quality, high interest decodable readers, erasable pens, books to teach social skills. I would love to have a behavior interventionist or more aides in classrooms. Play ground duties and lunchroom workers and finally field trips.
• I’d pay for an aide 4 hrs/day.
• Those who got money should have to pay at least 2k to play a high school sport.
• $8,000 to spend in my classroom – we would have a snack/food pantry, toiletry pantry, to start with! We would invite guest speakers to help us see the connections to what we are learning in school. Pay to have an author or two come teach the writing process, more field trips! So much more hands on opportunities for students! And that’s just off the top of my head! After school drama club, art club, gardening club, book club where students done have to provide their own supplies. The list is endless! At a minimum, this would cover 30+ kids a year!!!
• I would spent it on reflex for math fluency practice and math manipulatives. It would benefit 130 kids this year.
• Books, field trips, basic classroom supplies. And it would benefit 44 students this year and more in the future.
• Easy– more aide time for my whole grade (kindergarten)– especially since we are looking at 28 full day kindergarteners per class this year.
• Flexible seating (for 40) I scrounged tables and got rid of those hideous right handed hard desks, but they are in pretty rough shape. My chairs are even worse (though I do have a few nice ones that the kids fight over).
• Books, materials for hands on enrichment activities for the books, and having speakers and presenters come to our class. Also school supplies and food because my SpEd secondary students are always hungry.
• My list would be my wish list. First more anatomy figures- a full size skeleton. Different lab supplies. Automatic blood pressure cuff, and a VR manikin.
• School social worker here… but I am a licensed educator too! I’d pour it into our after school program and create a clothing and food pantry. I’d also pay off all lunch debt and pay into school lunch funds. I’d also continue building up our trauma informed spaces.
• Honestly, $8,000 is such a massive amount, I almost don’t know where to start. I’d start with a copy of every novel we read for every student, so they can read at home. We waste so much time reading in class because they can’t take the books home. Then I’d buy Licenses to No Red Ink. Then I’d upgrade the technology in my trailer classroom, so my projector was Bluetooth and my speakers actually worked.
• I would buy the other half of a table that I am missing somehow (my classroom is the cafeteria and one of my tables is only half of a table). I would buy a couple smart boards so kids can use Desmos on a big screen. I would take them on field trips to places using advanced math in real world applications. It would benefit 50 students per year, but all 50 will be in my class until they graduate because my school is weird.
• Imagine not only $8,000 for the class, $8,000 per student in a class of 32 like I had last year!! If we don’t stop this nonsense soon, the ultimate cost will come at the expense of our most vulnerable children
• My school is 30 years old this year. This will be my 6th year this year. I’m a school counselor. My first year there we got new desks and they painted our offices. The old furniture was falling apart. Our couch and side chairs were horrible. We begged for five years to replace that original furniture and our principal finally found some money in the budget last year. We got what we could afford, but still need side tables, a new chair for our secretary, etc. Additionally, counselors are excluded from the class wallet funds this year. I usually use it for group supplies, or student supplies like fidgets or journals. I could spend $8,000 in minutes.
• I am a literacy coach – if I were given $8000, I would buy phonetic readers for the school and it would assist over 300 students.
• I’m no longer in the classroom. However, I had to budget and plan out for my own subjects. For PE, I’d get maybe one set of balls a year (set is typically 4-6). Middle school students are hard on equipment, especially soccer. Softballs get hit in the roof and they also peel quickly when used by 300 students per day. The gloves, I think they are 20 years old? I used my entire budget one year for bases. Another year we got a grant for soccer nets (had been using just cones). The high school donated their old weight room equipment, we just had to buy new pins and cables for some of it. I sewed a mat back together myself. We used to take the kids skiing until prices got too high. That stopped in 2014 or so.
Health, the book was so outdated it was useless (I’d argue health should not be taught from a book though). I would purchase manipulatives for all lessons so MLL and students with special needs have a visual representation of the content. It also helps all students connect the vocabulary. Not to mention increases engagement. I’d buy books to connect stories with health. I have my own, but sets the students could choose to use and even have, wouldn’t that be something?
Science, more lab equipment. All of it. Let them explore and just learn. Notebooks for them to record lab findings (I always bought those myself).
LIA, field trips and cultural experiences. More learning about how to connect woth the community. A trip to the capital (hopefully connecting with some of the leaders where they can see representation).
Other subjects like ELA need books and writing supplies. Translating tools like the mic that translates to the projector. All educators need more visuals to support MLL and special needs students. Way more movement breaks in all classrooms. Recess equipment!!! Oh I’d have so much fun there, can you imagine? I have big dreams
• I’d use it to create service projects that we’d complete once a month- A few years ago we collected donations for the veterans home and made cards- even kindergarteners love helping out and seeing a difference they can make!
• Love this question!!! Last year I was SO excited to receive a grant for $350 (from a bank I think…the “100 Percent for Kids Grant”). This was used to buy basic supplies I needed for my students (testing folders, pencil sharpener, etc.) because the funds I get from the state/school/district don’t cover even a fraction of the supplies our students need. The amount we are given as teachers is not near enough to cover basic supplies that our students need. I can’t even tell you how excited I was to have an additional $350 to spend on my class so I could stop spending my own money on them. Thinking of how much good $8,000 could do for a whole class of my 4th graders is mind-boggling! We have never been offered funds even close to this. We as teachers get a couple of hundred dollars and are told to use this to buy everything for a whole class for the whole year and we continue to make do with these crumbs of funds year after year. I just have a hard time understanding how all of a sudden there are thousands and thousands of dollars that are available for homeschooled students, yet we public school teachers get a couple hundred dollars to cover 24 + students.
• I would purchase a classroom subscription to Newsela which allows students to read multi leveled articles in both English and Spanish. I would also buy updated atlases and globes for my world geography students to better understand the scope and scale of the world. I also would buy classroom sets of picture books on historical figures so all students have access at their level to biographies. I would probably have enough leftover to maybe purchase some supplies like pencils, markers, paper, and folders.
• I would buy a sensory table, easy reader books, basketball hoops, balls, and trikes for the playground. It would benefit 60 kids.
• I would pay off all the lunch balances first. Then I would divide it amount all the teachers at my school so everyone would have extra for their classrooms.
See what expenses have been approved here including trampolines, snorkeling, 3D printers, zoo memberships, musical instruments, and SO MUCH MORE.
In May 2024, the Utah Education Association (UEA), the state’s largest teachers’ union, filed a lawsuit against the Utah Fits All Scholarship program. The UEA claims the program is unconstitutional and violates the state’s constitution by diverting taxpayer money away from public schools. The lawsuit asks 3rd District Court Judge Laura Scott to permanently block the state from enforcing the program.
What can you do?
Contact your reps and let them know that public funds are for PUBLIC USE. Let them know that our tax payer money is much better used to benefit hundreds of thousands of more students than what they are using it for now. Their goal is to destroy and bankrupt public schools, just as bills like it have in Arizona. Let them know you side with the UEA in their lawsuit as well. This bill violates the state’s constitution by diverting taxpayer money away from public schools. You can also share with them some of the amazing ideas teachers had above that would benefit exponentially more students than what this current funding is doing.
. Yup. All this I buy out of pocket if I want to do it. 2nd grade.
