IT’S NO SECRET that teachers and classroom aides use their own funds to purchase items for their classrooms each year. One of the ways that Terrell ISD is stepping up to help alleviate this ever-present issue is by opening a Classroom Supply Store.
“There was a dusty old storage room at the administration building that needed to be cleaned out,” Terrell ISD Superintendent Dr. Georgeanne Warnock shared. “We were able to spruce it up and convert it to a new space to better serve our educators.”
In October, the district opened the doors to a permanent classroom supply shop that will be open once a month on the district's Professional Development days. Teachers and classroom aides receive "Tiger Tokens" to come and shop at the store to help replenish much-needed classroom supplies. Items range from scissors and glue to sticky notes and construction paper. There are even items in the store like pop sockets, stickers, notecards, and a color-coordinated "gel pen bar" to bring some fun into the teacher's lives.
“We have red and gold Tiger Tokens that the teachers can use to purchase their supplies. The red tokens are valued at about $10 and teachers receive a certain amount of those each month,” Dr. Warnock explained. “The gold tokens are handed out by campus and district leaders when we see one of our educators exemplifying one of our Tiger Values. We have a special section of the shop where teachers can use their gold tokens to purchase Terrell ISD swag and other fun items.”
On opening day more than 300 staff members stopped by the shop and enjoyed both shopping and some sweet treats.
“I loved seeing the smiles on their faces when they got to come shopping for the first time,” Dr. Warnock said. “We hope this lightens the financial load of our teachers. It’s all about connection and it’s all about fun. Who doesn’t love shopping for school supplies?”