Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse is spending $1 million to buy school supplies for every student in the district before the start of the school year.
“We recognize that some families are struggling to fill these lists for the children,” said Anthony Davis, interim superintendent for the district. “We just want to make sure that we’re doing our part to help as much as we possibly can.”
The supplies will be available in each school building for the more than 20,000 students at the beginning of the year. And, because students often run out of pencils and other essentials mid-year, there will be another distribution of school supplies after winter break.
The supplies will vary some, depending on the grade, but all students will receive the essentials, including pencils, pens, binders, folders, tissues and ear buds.
Davis and Syracuse School Board President Tamica Barnett said that the idea was a joint effort between Davis and the school board. This is the first time the district has provided school supplies to all students, they said. The money comes from the $109 million in American Rescue and Recovery Act funding the district received.
“I’m personally hearing these stories all over the place where families are struggling a little bit. But that shouldn’t impact their students coming to school having everything they need to learn,” Davis said.
He said the district may continue buying school supplies in the future even though the pile of federal money they’re using to make the purchase will not be around in future years.
“If we find that the need is there, we’ll find a way to make it happen if we feel that’s something we need to do for the community,” he said.
The city of Syracuse has among the highest child poverty rates in the nation. Nearly half of all the kids in Syracuse live below the federal poverty level. In some of the city schools, more than 90 percent of the students live in poverty.
The district is also providing $250 for every teachers to buy classroom supplies, so they don’t have to dip into their own pockets.
“A lot of of our teachers and staff were spending money out of their pocket to supply things that they need to do their jobs,” Barnett said. “So I think this is a step in the right direction. And hopefully, it’s something that we can continue to do going forward.”
School supplies that will be provided by the Syracuse school district:
Elementary school: pencils, crayons, dry erase markers, individual dry erase boards, notebook paper, composition books, three-ring binders and dividers, pocket folders, glue sticks, hand sanitizer, tissues, wipes, scissors, ear buds (for each student, but will be kept in the classrooms), over-the-ear headphones (for students who cannot use earbuds), colored pencils (grades 4 and up).
Middle school: pencils, pens, dry erase markers, individual dry erase boards, notebook paper, spiral notebooks, three-ring binders and dividers, pocket folders, glue sticks, hand sanitizer, tissues, wipes, scissors, ear buds (for each student, but will be kept in the classrooms), over-the-ear headphones (for students who cannot use earbuds), colored pencils, graph paper.
High school: pencils, pens, dry erase markers, individual dry erase boards, spiral notebooks, hand sanitizer, tissues, wipes, ear buds (for each student, but will be kept in the classrooms), over-the-ear headphones (for students who cannot use earbuds), colored pencils, graph paper, laptop cleaner.
Marnie Eisenstadt writes about people, public affairs and the Syracuse City School District. Contact her anytime email | Twitter| Facebook | 315-470-2246.