supplies

Elementary teachers are getting some financial help with the purchase of classroom supplies.

The province is giving each homeroom teacher $750 in September.

Education Minister Paul Calandra says it leaves the purchasing power up to teachers.

“It’s not us that is going to decide what the teachers need,” says Calandra.

“It’s the teachers who are going to decide what they need because every class is unique. Every class may be different.”

The money will come in the form of a card to be used on a new online site where teachers can obtain supplies.

Calandra says they will be visiting schools and speaking with educators to get a list of what teachers need and make them available through the site.

It is expected to offer a grade-by-grade selection of commonly used classroom items, including writing supplies, notebooks, calculators, chalk, arts and crafts materials, tissues and paper towels.

Many teachers are paying for the items up front and wait to be reimbursed.

The province has provided school boards with funding, but Calandra says not all of the money is necessarily flowing to teachers.

In some cases, teachers are told to purchase items through their board’s preferred vendors, which are often higher in cost than going to big box stores.

Calandra says that by using the purchasing power of Service Ontario, prices will be the same no matter where teachers are.

“Sometimes the cost of supplies is much more expensive in the north than it is in the south. That’s why we are bringing the purchasing power of the province together.”