Hollister
– Starting off around the track, the fourth-graders begin at a
sprint, but as the dust rises and they round the corner, most of
the students slow to a jog.
Hollister – Starting off around the track, the fourth-graders begin at a sprint, but as the dust rises and they round the corner, most of the students slow to a jog.
Students at Gabilan Hills Elementary took part in a “walk-a-thon” Friday, walking and running at least a mile to raise money to help their teachers purchase classroom materials.
“It was a lot of work, but now we’re finally going to be able to get some more stuff for our classroom,” said Jeanette Schneider, a fourth-grader, as she gulped down water after the run.
The fundraiser is organized each year by the school’s parent teacher organization. The money each student raises goes directly to his or her teacher, who can spend it on classroom supplies not provided by the school district.
Often these purchases are made by the teachers with their own money.
“I spend in the neighborhood of $1,000 each year on supplies,” said Robin Crepeau, who teaches a fourth- and fifth-grade class at Gabilan Hills. “I spend quite a bit of money, but I do it also for myself, as far as making sure I have the materials I need.”
Crepeau said she used the money to make sure students didn’t just have one set of materials to learn from.
“I buy special art materials, like knitting needles and yarn and construction paper,” Crepeau said. She added she was constantly buying books for her classroom’s library as well.
While Crepeau admits her spending is quite a bit more than most of her co-workers, out-of-pocket spending is a reality for most teachers.
A study by Education Market Research stated that teachers in California averaged around $219 in out-of-pocket spending per year.
This amount was echoed by Yvonne Perez, who teaches first grade at Gabilan Hills. She said she and most of her co-workers averaged spending between $100 and $300 a year of their own money on school supplies.
“It’s mainly just on supplies to supplement the curriculum,” she said. She explained that some of the newer teachers average a lot more out-of-pocket spending.
“When I first started teaching I was spending a lot of money, but a lot of us who have been teaching a long time have a pretty good stock,” Perez said.
The cost of setting up a new classroom can often be steep, so the district gives new teachers a $250 stipend to set up their classrooms, explained Jack Bachofer, director of business and operations for Hollister School District. In addition, many of the schools allocate money to the teachers that they can use at their discretion within their classroom.
Still, fundraisers like Friday’s walk-a-thon and other events put on at the other elementary schools are greatly appreciated by the teachers.
“For some teachers the walk-a-thon is something they bank upon,” said Dennis Kurtz, principal at Gabilan Hills. “They’ve spent most of their funds by this time of year and teachers are always paying out of pocket.”
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. You can reach her at (831)637-5566 ext.336 or at [email protected].
