Governor Roy Cooper launched an annual school supply drive in order to help students and teachers offset the costs of supplies that public schools require but do not provide.

The drive was announced at Pearson Elementary School in Durham on Tuesday, where Gov. Cooper spoke about how this unmet need can be a problem for teachers.

“Far too often, teachers are having to dip into their own pockets to cover the cost of classroom supplies. Supplies that their students need to learn,” Gov. Cooper said.

On average, teachers spend about $500 of their own money on supplies for their classrooms each year, and state funding for school supplies has been cut in half since 2008.

“One key here is we want to end these kinds of drives. What we want is a school system that provides what teachers and students need. But for now I’m going to encourage North Carolinians to help fill in the gap,” said Gov Cooper.

This need was covered in Gov. Cooper’s budget proposal, Common Ground Solutions for North Carolina, which was announced in March, and called for a $150 annual supply stipend for all North Carolina public school teachers to help offset the cost of purchasing supplies.

However, the budget passed by the North Carolina General Assembly did not include the teacher supply stipend.

The School Supply Drive will run from August 14 to September 8 and includes requests for:

• All types of paper
• Pens, pencils, and dry erase markers
• Spiral notebooks
• Tissues and sanitizing wipes

Donation Drop-offs can be made at State Employees Credit Union (SECU) branches, state government offices and businesses that partner with the North Carolina Business Committee on Education.

Communities In Schools of North Carolina chapters and AmeriCorps volunteers will distribute the supplies to school classrooms across the state after the drive.

North Carolina residents can also organize their own drive at their workplaces using the school supply drive kit. Instructions for supply collection can be found here.

Related Stories
‹
Big Tech is Paying Millions to Train Teachers on AI, in a Push to Bring Chatbots Into Classrooms
Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic are providing millions of dollars for AI training to the American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second-largest teachers union.
How ChatGPT and Other AI Tools Are Changing the Teaching Profession
Across the country, AI tools are changing the teaching profession as educators use them to help do many of their out-of-class tasks.
Rep. Robert Reives Talks Kamala Harris, Roy Cooper, and More
NC House Minority Leader and District 54 Representative Robert Reives spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Friday, July 26. He discussed the change at the top of the Democratic ticket for president, telling the story of how he learned the news of Biden stepping down after having his phone on airplane mode for a long flight. He described the feelings of optimism that followed the string of endorsements for Vice President Harris, and talked about what happens next. He discussed Gov. Roy Cooper as a possible Vice President, and more.
NC Teachers Group Critical of Proposed License, Pay Overhaul
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Members of North Carolina’s leading teacher advocacy group criticized on Tuesday a proposed overhaul of public school instructor pay and licensing, saying that implementing such changes would make existing classroom staffing challenges even worse. The state Department of Public Instruction released to the State Board of Education in April a “sample” […]
Chapel Hill Police Investigating Bank Robbery off Elliott Road
The Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating a bank robbery on Tuesday afternoon. A release from the department shortly after 4 p.m. revealed police arrested a suspect in a bank robbery at the State Employees’ Credit Union branch at 110 South Elliott Road. Police said officers arrived just before noon to calls about a robbery […]
Chapel Hill Police Detain 1 Suspect in SECU Bank Robbery
The Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating a bank robbery on Friday morning, with one suspect detained by the authorities. A release from the department said at 10:01 a.m., officers responded to a robbery at the State Employees’ Credit Union located at 310 Pittsboro Street, which is nearby to UNC’s campus. Police said no weapon […]
SECU Awards $350,000 Grant For Construction of New Club Nova Facility
For many in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro region, the nonprofit Club Nova has served as both a refuge and a beacon of hope. Since 1987, Club Nova has served those in the Orange County community dealing with serious mental illnesses by providing support, education and employment opportunities. After being hit hard by the pandemic in 2020, […]
Union Will Defend Teachers in ‘Critical Race Theory’ Fights
Written by COLLIN BINKLEY One of the nation’s largest teachers unions on Tuesday vowed to defend members who are punished for teaching an “honest history” of the United States, a measure that’s intended to counter the wave of states seeking to limit classroom discussion on race and discrimination. In a virtual address to members of […]
Gov. Cooper Lifts North Carolina's Mask and Social Distancing Requirements, Follows CDC Guidance
Following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control, Governor Roy Cooper announced new executive orders in North Carolina that lift most mask requirements for fully-vaccinated people and social distancing measures. Cooper shared the change to public health guidelines on Friday afternoon, marking a shift back to much of life before the coronavirus pandemic led […]
'It's Not About Me': CHCCS Teachers Provide Support Through Pandemic
As local K-12 schools begin to wrap up their spring semesters, some teachers are still trying to come to terms with the past year. 
›