As students head back to school, many teachers are still gathering supplies for their classrooms from parents and organizations — and spending their own money. A local nonprofit is helping ease that burden by providing free school supplies to educators serving high-poverty schools.
The Classroom Central Free Store on Wilkinson Boulevard was bustling this week with teachers browsing aisles stocked with pencils, paper, arts and crafts supplies and other classroom essentials.
One of them is West Mecklenburg High School teacher Christine Ward. She’s filled a shopping cart with tissues, a writing board to help students think out loud, and disinfectant wipes to get ahead of the flu season.
As its name suggests, the Free Store does not charge teachers for supplies. Classroom Central serves six school districts across Charlotte, allowing teachers who come from schools with more than half of their students on free- or reduced-price lunch plans to visit once a month to select free, donated classroom materials.
The program helps teachers like Ward, who is also a mother of three, provide supplies for students without spending their own money.
“This alleviates some of that extra stress because we want to be able to give it all to our kids, both my students and my actual children,” Ward said. “This helps me to do both of those things.”
A 2025 report from CouponBirds found North Carolina teachers spent an average of $1,600 annually out of their own pockets on school supplies — the second highest in the country. Classroom Central served about 5,000 teachers last year.
“If they’re putting something in their cart here, they’re not putting it in their own cart at the weekend, using their own money,” said Jennifer Hanly of Classroom Central.
She said paper remains the most in-demand item. Many teachers shopping Tuesday were also looking for other basic supplies, such as pens and pencils.
Marsha Tillock is a teacher with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Virtual School and at the CMS PACE program for immigrant and refugee students. She’s there buying pencils, something crucial to make sure she keeps her kids motivated.
“There are times that the students do not have it, and as a teacher, you want them to learn, so you would have to provide it for them,” she said.
Teachers across North Carolina received raises under the General Assembly’s 2026-27 state budget. The average raise is 8%, but the increases are not distributed evenly: Starting teachers received the largest increase, about 17%, while more experienced teachers received smaller raises. Teachers with 15 to 24 years of experience receive no annual step increases; the next increase comes at 25 years.
Ward said that the raises help, but she’s hoping for more.
“Teachers have to work second jobs and I hope and pray for a day that teachers can just focus on teaching instead of having to do secondary sources of income,” Ward said.
In addition to its Free Store, Classroom Central operates a mobile Free Store that visits school districts and four Learning Lockers — on-site supply hubs at specific schools where teachers can pick up classroom materials.
