Newark Teachers Seek Donations For Their Classrooms

NEWARK, CA — Whether it’s for a classroom in need of art supplies, a library that needs more comfortable seating or funding for new science kits — teachers are connecting this school year with those who are willing to help enrich the lives of students in Newark.

DonorsChoose offers a space for teachers to share project requests to improve the quality of education for their students across California and the nation.

Here in Newark, teachers at Newark Memorial High School; and Coyote Hills, Kennedy, and Schilling elementary schools have listed 16 projects on DonorsChoose.

The education crowdfunding nonprofit allows people everywhere to search for and donate to classroom projects that will help students gain access to quality supplies, opportunities and resources.

Teachers in America spend an average of $700 of their own money to provide their students with pencils, paper, books, art supplies and technology, according to DonorsChoose.

On average, public school teachers in California make a base salary of $61,595 per year, according to data from Salary.com.

Nearly 100,000 teachers are currently seeking donors across the nation.

The nonprofit vets every teacher request and only sends supplies, not cash, to classrooms. Donations to teachers are tax deductible and guaranteed to be spent as the donor describes, according to the platform.

Ms. Villegas at Kennedy Elementary is seeking STEM project donations for 3rd to 5th grade students, Coach Hanohano needs muscle recovery equipment at the high school, while Mrs. Semedo needs literacy stations for her pre-k to 2nd graders. See all Newark projects seeking donations.

DonorsChoose was started by Charles Best in 2000, a history teacher at a Bronx public high school.