When families are unable to provide school supplies, teachers must either personally absorb the cost or allow students to go without essential learning tools. The 2024 National Teacher Survey found that teachers spend an average of $895 annually out of pocket to supply their classrooms. In Knox County, this burden is evident: registration for the Teacher Supply Depot’s Spring Shop filled within three hours, leaving a waitlist of teachers unable to secure an appointment. With 63 Knox County schools qualifying for the Community Eligibility Provision, meaning at least 25% of students at each school come from low-income households, Knox County’s teachers are often left to shoulder the financial burden of providing for their students. The Depot’s current biannual opening model does not meet the demonstrated demand.

Teacher Supply Depot seeks to address this gap by performing a small-scale test of opening the depot weekly to provide teachers with free classroom supplies. This test will allow us to measure our teacher capacity, what school supplies most need to be stocked, and operational challenges before moving to this model on a full scale, with the goal of ensuring that teachers can provide students with the tools they need to learn without bearing the financial burden.

Access to adequate classroom supplies can reduce teacher stress, improve instructional quality, and improve job satisfaction. By opening more regularly to provide supplies, this initiative will reduce educator out-of-pocket spending and create stronger, more equitable learning environments across Knox County.