Editorial: School’s paper donation situation
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Ask and ye shall receive.
It’s a nice thought, but it doesn’t always work out. Sometimes, though, it does, like it did with Sto-Rox School District last week.
On Friday, guidance counselor Katie Couch looked at the total lack of copy paper in the district and the months left in the school calendar and did the kind of simple arithmetic that should have been obvious in even a kindergarten class.
Nothing plus four months divided by nothing and you get exactly nothing. That doesn’t work when you still have 1,400 kids to educate every day.
Couch didn’t keep the need to herself. She shared it on social media, tagging some local businesses. The post was shared and retweeted and in just two days, the low-income school district with a budget stretched past its limits has received a blizzard of paper and offers to help.
It is an awesome story of support and creativity and an educator who looked for a way to solve a problem. Bravo to Couch and everyone who donated and all those who shared the story to bring attention to it.
It is also a sad story of how a school district in a rich nation fell short on the most basic tool to educate its kids.
The 100 or so cases that Couch is expecting would retail for somewhere upwards of $2,000 in a Walmart or an office supply store. Sto-Rox has a 2019-20 budget of $28 million that includes about $365,000 in “supplies” for instruction and support services, of which paper must be just a portion — a critical portion.
It has become almost a cliche to note how much of their own money teachers spend on supplies. They buy things that aren’t provided but they believe are necessary. Plain white copy paper shouldn’t be one of those. It’s the basis for lessons and homework and schedules and permission slips.
If a school district wants to cut costs and try creative ways to bridge needs, plan now as part of the budgeting process. Reach out to businesses to find ways to build beneficial partnerships that can reduce the bottom line. Try everything. Do anything.
But do it when it’s still possible to change course if necessary, because what if Couch’s plea had crumpled? Where would the teachers — and more importantly, the kids — be left? Just because you ask doesn’t mean you will receive.