Over $109,000 in mini-grants awarded to teachers in the Cache County School District

Hundreds of teachers in the Cache County School District will soon be receiving grants to help them purchase the tools they need to be better teachers. The Cache Education Foundation, the fundraising arm of the school district, is awarding an all-time high amount in Tools for Schools grants.

CEF Executive Director Teri Lewis says every school in the district will benefit.

“We had over 570 grant requests totaling over $109,000,” Lewis explains. “Every school in the Cache County School District will be receiving funds that are substantial and it will have a huge impact in the classrooms.”

“That’s an all-time high,” says CEF President Ted Erekson. “That’s the most we’ve ever approved and distributed and what’s exciting to me is that it goes directly into the classroom. Not one dime of that goes into administration. It all goes directly into the classroom.”

A summer golf tournament at Birch Creek Golf Course was a major support for the Tools for Schools program. Funds also came from private donations and a donation from the Herberger’s department store.

Lewis says the foundation received a variety of requests for the funds, such as books, manipulatives, science equipment, and calculators. But the majority of requests had something to do with technology.

“Testing is done through technology,” says Lewis. “Writing, even the Go Math and Digits programs are all technology related where students have to have access.

“A lot of the grant requests were for those items to help the students so they don’t have to wait in line or an updated resource so they start quicker, so there’s no wait time, so the student can get right in and take the math quiz or the Reading Counts quiz and be done and move on so the next student can come in and take an opportunity at that.”

From now until the Christmas break the grants of $200 or less will be delivered to each classroom that was approved.

“It doesn’t sound very significant, $200 per classroom doesn’t, but if you talk to any teacher $200 is more than they get any other way and it’s a real opportunity to enhance the learning process in each classroom,” says Erekson.

“That’s always a fun, exciting time,” adds Lewis. “The teachers are thrilled to receive $200 or less for a classroom resource. Most teachers spend their own money to provide those resources so they’re thrilled to receive the award.”

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