Since the Charlotte Chamber opened a warehouse on Wilkinson Boulevard to distribute free classroom supplies to teachers just over 20 years ago, Classroom Central has grown to serve 237 high-need schools in six districts. That means that along with innumerable pencils and packs of crayons, the staff has collected quite a roster of donors and volunteers.
So when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools wanted to help principals develop the kind of classroom culture that would encourage teachers to stick around, Classroom Central stepped up.
Executive Director Karen Calder says her staff is meeting with principals at Allenbrook and Bruns Avenue elementary schools, Ranson and Sedgefield middle schools and Marie G. Davis K-8 school to plan a teacher support program that will start in August.
“The support may look like a series of rewards and recognitions for teachers. It may be a gift card to a grocery store or Amazon, or to a restaurant that they can enjoy themselves or with friends and family,” she said this week.
All five schools have high poverty levels and high teacher turnover. Principals will figure out how to distribute rewards and incorporate Classroom Central’s assistance into a broader effort to shape a teacher-friendly culture. Calder said her group will line up back-to-school celebrations in August, with additional events around winter break and spring testing time.
Calder hopes her group can help entice teachers to stay — and learn some lessons for expanding the effort.
“We see ourselves kind of as a conduit, not just for supplies but for partnerships and relationships and rewards and incentives. So it’s really kind of leveraging our relationship with the community and with schools,” Calder said.
While the retention program is new, Calder says offering free supplies has long been a recruitment tool in CMS, Union, Gaston, Iredell-Statesville, Kannapolis and Lancaster, South Carolina.
“Essentially, we’re saving teachers the equivalent of about a paycheck or so annually on what they would normally spend out of pocket,” she said.
Classroom Central has a staff of 10 and expects to distribute $9 million in supplies this year. The new effort will mean reaching out for additional support.
“What we are not known for is to procure things like gift cards and tickets to sporting events or cultural events. And so those are the kind of things we’re going to be looking to the corporate community to offer,” Calder said.
Anyone interested in taking part can find more information at ClassroomCentral.org.
