Our petition supports students in households earning equal to or below the poverty guideline in receiving free or discounted school supplies. This includes; notebooks, binders, pencils, pens, etc. Studies show that “94 percent of teachers reach into their own pockets to purchase classroom necessities. Support professionals--including bus drivers, front office staff, classroom aides, and custodians--also spend their own wages to buy supplies.” (Litvinov, 2023) . Back to school spending has risen from year to year so this will benefit students today and in the future. We hope to bridge the gap and allow students of all backgrounds to gain quality education to benefit them in the future. Funding will be provided through school budgets with $858 for every 1 in 4 students in each school population. 

Sources:

Litvinov, A. (2023, August 31). Why Are Educators Still Buying Their Own School Supplies? | NEA. Www.nea.org​ https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/why-are-educators-still-buying-their-own-school-supplies

NRF. (2023, July 13). Back-to-Class Shopping Expected to Reach Record Levels. NRF. https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/back-class-shopping-expected-reach-record-levels

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. (2023, January 19). Poverty guidelines. ASPE; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines