18 February 2013

That's the Way the Money Goes

I am gearing up to do a big unit on color theory with my class.  Let's investigate the necessary materials.

Generously Provided by Donors

  • color blending glasses
  • color wheels
  • fingerpaint paper
  • individual cups for portioning out paint
  • prisms
  • additional color paddles
  • colored cellophane
  • high-quality red, yellow, and blue construction paper
  • smocks
  • red, yellow, and blue finger paint
  • paint brushes
Teacher-funded
  • red, white, and black tempera paint
  • additional finger paint
  • sticky-back laminating sheets (fancy contact paper, basically)
  • soap
  • color paddles
  • prisms
  • CD/DVD of "Here Comes Science" (for "Roy G. Biv" song)
  • TV/DVD player and wheeled cart (borrowed from another teacher, who purchased it herself)
  • paint brushes
  • heavy white paper (for tempera)
Generously Provided by the District
  • yellow and blue tempera paint
  • brass fasteners
  • popsicle sticks
  • paper towels
  • tap water
Findings
  • Donors Choose and similar sites are my primary classroom supply sources.
  • Whether we consider it a state funding shortage or a district cash management issue, children are getting shorted on fairly basic materials.  (Do I need fancy construction paper?  No, it just makes better color blending lenses for the children to make and take home.  Do I need paint?  I teach Kindergarten, so yeah, I think I do.)
  • The $250 federal tax deduction for teachers' classroom expenses is inadequate, and if California stays 47th of 50 in classroom funding, the state should really consider offering a deduction.
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1 comment:

  1. Anonymous3:37 PM

    I had an interesting chat with someone in administration about funding for elementary school. Basically, because the district largely funds schools per pupil basis, a class size of 20-ish pays for a teacher and it's not until 4-5th grade when the class size increases to 33 that the school can get funding for supplies and the all the extras. The means a double whammy for not popular schools. Classes aren't full so there is no money left for anything else. But because there isn't money for supplies and all the extras, the school isn't popular and classes don't fill up. What a weird funding mechanism. Can someone explain why it works that way?

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