‘I love it.’ Wake teachers cheer new ‘store’ that provides free classroom supplies.

Wake County teachers have a new option to help get the classroom supplies they need without having to pay for the materials themselves.

The first wave of Wake County teachers picked up free classroom supplies at Tuesday’s grand opening of the WakeEd Partnership’s Tools4Schools store in Cary. The store is meant to cover the gap that leads to North Carolina teachers, on average, spending $526 a year out of their own pockets on classroom supplies.

“I love it,” Shnita Horton, a kindergarten teacher at Wilburn Elementary in Raleigh, said as she shopped for supplies Tuesday. “It’s a chance for me to come and get some things that I need for my classroom without spending my money. At times we fall short of things that we don’t have in the buildings.”

Keith Poston, the president of WakeEd, said they hope to serve all schools in the Wake County school system by July. For now, Tools4Schools is targeting the highest-needs schools in the district. Teachers at those schools received invitations to sign up for time slots.

“As much as Wake County Public Schools does for teachers, there’s always more needs,” Poston said at the ribbon-cutting. “Tools4Schools is designed for those teachers and for our students to help fill that gap so teachers have everything they need for their students when they walk in the door.”

Helping stock classrooms

Tools4Schools is the brainchild of WakeEd, which is a business-backed advocacy group that supports public education. WakeEd raised money from groups and individuals to purchase the supplies for the store. It’s still soliciting donations of money and/or supplies to keep the shelves stocked.

In return for setting up the store, the Wake County school system leased to WakeEd for free the former Crossroads Fords service center at 1660 Piney Plains Road in Cary. The store will be there until the district eventually builds a multi-million dollar school transportation center where school buses will be serviced.

The supply store is modeled on similar programs in other parts of the state. Marissa Campbell, a kindergarten teacher at Creech Road Elementary School in Garner, said a supply store was a big help to her when she taught in the Charlotte area.

On Tuesday, Campbell brought her 7-month-old daughter, Aria, as she picked up glue sticks, crayons and other supplies.

“You never know where funding is going to come from,” Campbell said. “We deplete supplies pretty fast, so this is huge that they’re doing this for us.”

Call for more school funding

The store opens at a time over a debate about whether North Carolina provides enough funding for public schools. Several school districts and community groups have appealed to the state Supreme Court to order the state to provide more funding in the long-running Leandro lawsuit.

“Education is the bedrock of our community,” Wake school board member Jim Martin said at the opening ceremony. “If we don’t invest in our kids, if we don’t invest in our future, we have no future. It should not be a question that our classrooms are supplied.”

Martin thanked WakeEd for setting up the store but said that it’s a “sad commentary” that a place like Tools4Schools is even needed. Poston said he agreed it’s a shame that the store is needed but that the community will step up in the meantime.

“I hope that we do get put of business by full funding of our public schools,” Poston said.

How to help

Go to www.wakeed.org/tools4schools/ for more information on WakeEd Partnership’s Tools4Schools store, including how to donate money and/or classroom supplies.