Kathy Hoffman won the election for Arizona superintendent for public instruction.
The Arizona Department of Education is teaming up with a non-profit crowdfunding platform to allocate $5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. DonorsChoose will support PreK-through-12tht grade public school educators.
The collaboration between ADE and DonorsChoose will provide 8,300 individual teachers with up to $600 each for classroom resources and projects.
Forty percent of the $5 million will be earmarked for teachers working in one of Arizona’s thirteen most rural counties, with sixty percent earmarked for educators working in Maricopa and Pima counties.
“After the last few deeply challenging school years, Arizona educators and students need all the support we can give them,” said Superintendent Hoffman. “After the overwhelmingly positive response from teachers and students to our first round of funding, it was an easy decision to allocate additional classroom funds to teachers as they begin the new school year. And with dedicated funds available to our state’s rural classrooms, we’re positive teachers and students in all corners of our state will benefit from this opportunity.”
The department of education's partnership with DonorsChoose is not new. The program was founded in 2000, Since then more than 27,000 Arizona teachers have used the platform to raise $41 million for projects that help them go above and beyond in the classroom
"The Arizona Department of Education is once again giving teachers a boost of support as classrooms head into a new school year," said Alix Guerrier, CEO of DonorsChoose. "This initiative will especially empower educators who need it most, and it will ensure that Arizona students have the extra resources they need this back-to-school season."
Earlier this year, ADE partnered with DonorsChoose to allocate $14 million to more than 15-thousand teachers at more than 16-hundred schools..
“DonorsChoose has made a significant impact for my students,” said 2nd year Paradise Valley Unified School District teacher Grant Wood. “It’s inspiring having a classroom environment where students feel welcomed and comfortable because teachers are able to choose the right resources to meet their needs.”
In this round, ADE will begin funding eligible requests on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds run out. Educators can learn how to create an eligible DonorsChoose project by visiting the ADE website.
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