Tuscaloosa Education Foundation Awards $25K In Annual Grants For Teachers

TUSCALOOSA, AL. — The Tuscaloosa Education Foundation (TEF) on Wednesday announced 15 recipients of its annual grant program, which are awarded each year to Tuscaloosa City School and Tuscaloosa County School teachers.

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TEF says it received 67 applications for this year's round of grants, ultimately awarding a total amount of $24,983.

“It is a privilege every year to be able to give teachers things for their classroom, pay for new programming, or even update a teachers’ lounge,” TEF Executive Director Caroline Lasseter said. “Teachers are our most valuable assets for our students’ success inside and outside of the classroom. Whatever we can do as a community and foundation to support them, we try to do.”

TEF said that this year's grants will be used in schools to support Pre-K learning, parent education, elementary literacy, math education, social-emotional learning, robotics, and more.

“We are so grateful for Tuscaloosa Education Foundation’s continuous support of our schools, educators, and students, in so many ways," Tuscaloosa County School System Superintendent Keri Johnson said. "The classroom grants are a great way to support some of the creative and unique ways our teachers make learning exciting for our students.”

Tuscaloosa City Schools Superintendent Mike Daria echoed this sentiment, saying "This year, TEF is awarding approximately $12,750 in grants to six educators in the Tuscaloosa City Schools, benefitting everything from robotics, literacy for struggling students and social emotional learning. TEF is a critical community partner in the important work that we do each and every day and we are thankful for their support of our educators."

TEF says grants are awarded across three group criteria: schoolwide grants, team grants, and individual teacher grants. Five applications in each category received an award.

Here's a breakdown of the recipients:

Schoolwide Grants

• Abby Mills and Big Sandy Elementary School: Social-Emotional Learning Resource Library, $1,900
• Lamonica Hendrix and University Place Elementary School: Social-Emotional Learning Resource Center, $1,350
• Briauna Scott and Central High School: Central High School Faculty Lounge Upgrades, $2,000
• Paige Cooper and Tuscaloosa County High School: Resources for “I Can” Program, $1,300
• Dominique Tortorice and Holt Elementary School: Resources for Math Team, $2,521

Team Grants

• Alicia Jenne and Rock Quarry Elementary School Pre-K team: Outdoor Play Equipment for Traditional and Non-traditional learners, $3,000
• Haley Luoallen and SPE team at Taylorville Primary School: ASD Sensory Room Upgrades, $1,454
• Dana Roy and Brookwood High School Pre-K team: Conscious Discipline Parent Education Pack Program for Pre-K, $500
• Emily Limbaugh and first grade Verner Elementary Team: Literacy Materials for ELL, SPE, and below grade level students, $1,900
• Susan Perrin and Robotics team at TCTA: Robotics Kit, $3,000

Individual Grants

• Yolanda Stockdale at Tuscaloosa Magnet Middle School: Flexible Seating for Classroom, $1,500
• Kristina Culbertson at Walker Elementary School: Multiplicative Counting Collections Program, $1,430
• Jonny Davis at Hillcrest High School: Photography Class Equipment, $1,265
• Patricia White at Buhl Elementary School: Number Sense for Math Instruction, $563
• Leana Banta at Buhl Elementary School: Elmo Document Camera, $1,300

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