As traditional calendar schools across North Carolina begin a new year, Governor Roy Cooper today urged North Carolinians to help address unmet classroom needs in North Carolina public schools by donating to the first annual Governor’s School Supply Drive.
“Across North Carolina, students are heading back to class and teachers are reaching into their own pockets to cover the cost of essential school supplies when they shouldn’t have to,” Gov. Cooper said. “Before September 8, consider picking up an extra item from our supply list and donating it a drop off location near you.”
Classrooms across the state face school supply shortages, and state funding for school supplies has been cut in half since 2008. Teachers now spend an average of $500 of their own money on supplies for their classrooms each year.
This spring, Gov. Cooper worked to address the supply gap by including a $150 annual supply stipend for all North Carolina public school teachers in his budget proposal, but the supply stipend was not included in the budget passed by the North Carolina General Assembly.
ABOUT GOVERNOR COOPER’S SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE
State Employees Credit Union (SECU) branches, state government offices, and businesses across North Carolina are collecting essential school supplies for Governor Cooper’s School Supply Drive now through September 8, 2017.
Requested supplies include:
- All types of paper
- Pens, pencils, and dry erase markers
- Spiral notebooks
- Tissues and sanitizing wipes
Donation bins are available in state government buildings in Raleigh, businesses that partner with the North Carolina Business Committee on Education, and all SECU branch buildings across North Carolina.
Gov. Cooper encouraged North Carolina residents to donate supplies at a participating location. To find a SECU branch near you, use their branch locator here. To begin a supply drive at your own workplace, download our school supply drive toolkit here.
“I hope that this supply drive won’t always be necessary, but until then, let’s pitch in and donate supplies to help ensure a successful school year for North Carolina public school students,” Cooper said.
At the end of the drive, all donated supplies will be delivered to Communities In Schools of North Carolina chapters. Communities In Schools staff and volunteers and AmeriCorps volunteers will then count, sort, and distribute the supplies to school classrooms across the state.
Governor Cooper’s School Supply Drive is offered in partnership between the North Carolina Governor’s Office, the North Carolina Business Committee on Education, State Employees Credit Union, and Communities In Schools of North Carolina.