Most public schools in South Florida provide few supplies to teachers at the start of a new school year.
Dwan Hunt McClain is a teacher at North Miami Senior High School. She said the school gives her a stapler, a pack of paper and maybe some pens.
"Everything else is on us," she said.
The Education Fund, an organization that was created to find ways for the private sector to help public education, has been providing a space for teachers to get school supplies for 25 years, through a partnership with Ocean Bank.
Teachers in Miami-Dade county can find classroom essentials like pens, folders, and cleaning supplies at the Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials warehouse in Medley.
A Department of Education survey published in May revealed that public school teachers in the United States spent an average of $480 of their own money on supplies in the 2014-2015 school year without reimbursement.
“They are shopping for their classrooms because there isn’t enough money to give teachers all the supplies they need to make learning come alive,” said Linda Lecht, the president of The Education Fund.
The warehouse is located at 6890 NW 76 St. It is open to Miami-Dade County public and charter school teachers throughout the school year. Teachers must schedule an appointment on The Education Fund website prior to visiting.
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