Emmet County school teachers awarded mini grants from local MARSP chapter
EMMET COUNTY — The Emmet County chapter of the Michigan Association of Retired School Personnel (MARSP) is handing out 13 mini grants to different schools in Emmet County, each for $100.
MARSP’s interim president and treasurer Dave Snyder said the money is given to one teacher in each school to help pad the budget on any small items they may need.
He said these mini grants are like an honorarium to the teachers who may have had to use their own money for supplies throughout the year and serve as an “attaboy or attagirl.”
The mini grants have been given out on an annual basis since the 2012-2013 school year, minus two more recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said giving them out this time of year has been helpful because some money may get moved around to account for any potential budget shortfalls.
"The veteran teachers learn early on that if they don't spend the money that they're budgeted in the fall, it might not be there in the spring due to whatever budget issues might crop up,” he said. “Giving these out this time of year has helped where there's been a project, or an issue, or budget shortfall for a particular teacher."
He said the groups like to help out with different projects teachers may be unable to work on without additional support.
“They help to supplement where there might be a budget shortfall, or it might be a project that they're doing,” Snyder said. “So, our group tries to be there to help with these kinds of projects.”
Snyder said the mini grants are funded by the membership dues and extra money from events the group has.
He said the mini grants are a good way of showing the teachers that there are former educators who understand how hard their job is and want to recognize the work they do.
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Each building principal is asked to decide which teacher should get the award, and the money is not required to go to anything specific. In the past, the money has been used to buy additional classroom supplies, to help fund field trips or to help fund anything a teacher may need.
Each school in the Petoskey, Alanson, Harbor Springs and Pellston districts each gets one $100 award.
"We know as retired educators that you often face budget shortfalls or tightening at this time of year and are forced sometimes to reach into your own pockets to help keep your classrooms supplied," Snyder wrote in a letter to the local teachers. "It is our wish that these mini-grants can help alleviate some of that financial strain that you face during the late winter and early spring."
— Contact education reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Emmet County teachers awarded mini grants from local MARSP chapter
