“I think school districts should be allocated a certain amount for school supplies for the entire district,” said Michelle Gear said. “And I think the government should give teachers more money, not necessarily in the form of salaries, but there should be a separate fund for school supplies.”

Maite Lamberri, aSpanish teacher at Chapel Hill High School with 23 years of teaching experience, she said pays about $300 per year for subscriptions to learning tools like Quizlet.

“We have to invest more of our own money every year,” said Lamberri.

On 21 August The CHCCS School Board approved cuts in 24 full-time positions at headquarters. According to CHCCS, the district has experienced a steady decline in student numbers over several years, which leads to a reduction in financing. In addition, Personnel costs lead to a budget deficit.

Allison Worthy, chAir of the event Teacher Supply Store, said because Due to budget cuts, teachers no longer receive teaching materials from their schools and are therefore dependent on the store and donations from parents.

However, the store is a morale booster for teachers and provides them with the materials they need. Worthy said.

“We have been running the store for 17 years and I think the teachers appreciate it more than ever this year because of the budget cuts,” she said.

Worthy also said The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation hopes to open a permanent accessories store in the future.

“If you don’t have the right tools, you can’t do the job well,” she said“And that’s why I think it impacts the training that teachers receive when they’re not well equipped and their students don’t have all the materials they need to be successful.”

Blobe sHelp for everyone Students should have equal access to education, including providing the materials they need to learn and study, not only in the classroom but also for homework.

“It benefits not only the students, but our entire community,” said Blobe.

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