September 29, 2021
CARSON
CITY, Nev. – Today, the
Nevada
Department of Education (NDE)
announced the allocation of $8 million in Elementary and Secondary School
Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to help K-12 public school educators get
classroom resources for the school year through DonorsChoose, a nonprofit crowdfunding website. The
collaboration between NDE and DonorsChoose will provide Nevada educators with
up to $800 in funding for their projects, empowering them to support their
students' success with classroom resources.
"Statewide,
our educators have demonstrated unyielding persistence and ingenuity as they
have gone above and beyond to help students weather the effects of the
pandemic," said Jhone Ebert, State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
"With the support of Governor Sisolak and the Nevada Legislature, we are
thrilled to have this opportunity to show appreciation for our educators by
investing in their classrooms and providing them with the resources they need
in this moment to address the impacts of interrupted learning."
"Nevada’s
educators are some of the finest in the nation and have risen to the occasion
again and again throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to support our students,
families, and school communities,” said Governor Sisolak. “In
this moment more than ever, they deserve our support and admiration, and I am
proud that we will be able to provide Nevada’s educators with resources to fund
their classroom projects.”
As part of
the partnership with NDE, DonorsChoose will ensure any requests for
instructional materials align with the Nevada Academic Content Standards. For
any requests for non-instructional items, DonorsChoose will confirm that
projects relate to one of the priority areas for Nevada’s COVID-19 recovery and
response: ensuring safe and healthy in-person learning environments conducive
to students’ social, emotional, and academic development; access to distance
education and technological capacity for teachers, students, and families;
social and emotional support of students in response to the effects of
COVID-19; or support of parents, families, and communities.
“We’re so
grateful to collaborate with the Nevada Department of Education in such an
innovative way to empower its educators and students during a critical time,” said
Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose. “These grants are an investment in
the frontline wisdom of Nevada’s educators that we know will help students
across the State get off to a strong start this school year.”
Any Nevada
full-time equivalent K-12 public school employee who spends the majority of
their time directly educating or counseling students is eligible to create a project. Eligible projects are anticipated to be funded within
one week of posting. Projects will be funded up to $800 for resources, with an
additional $154 in fees covered by DonorsChoose, for a total project sum of
$954.
“This
funding opportunity will create a wide-reaching, meaningful difference for at
least 10,000 of my educator colleagues and their students this school year,” said
Deanne Hicks, 2022 Nevada Teacher of the Year. “Each educator has the best
sense of what is needed for their own classrooms and students, and I encourage
all Nevada educators to publish their projects today!”
“Our
educators are best suited to identify the specific needs in their own
classrooms,” said Superintendent Ebert. "With the implementation of
the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan and other key investments recently made in
education, we are optimistic about the long-term impact on our classrooms
Statewide. With this $8 million emergency funding allocation and innovative
partnership with DonorsChoose, we are thrilled to be able to get resources
directly and immediately to our educators and students.”
Since
Charles Best founded DonorsChoose in 2000, more than 7,800 Nevada teachers representing every school district have
raised $13 million for projects that help them go above and beyond in the
classroom. Ten Nevada school districts have joined forces with the nonprofit
as part of its District Partnership Program. The new collaboration between NDE and
DonorsChoose will further this support for educators across the entire State.
The Nevada
Department of Education will begin funding eligible requests on a first-come, first-served
basis beginning September 29, 2021 and for as long as funding is available.
Educators can learn more about creating their DonorsChoose projects in the
organization’s Help Center.
ABOUT THE NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Nevada Department of Education (NDE) leads and collaborates with
Nevada’s 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority to
advance educational equity Statewide. With offices in Carson City and Las
Vegas, NDE oversees all pre-K-12 education in the State, working to achieve its
mission to improve student achievement and educator effectiveness by ensuring
opportunities, facilitating learning, and promoting excellence. Under the
leadership of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public
Instruction, NDE impacts the achievement of nearly half a million children and
30,000 educators.
ABOUT DONORSCHOOSE
DonorsChoose is the leading way to give to public schools. Since 2000,
4.9 million people and partners have contributed $1.1 billion to support 2
million teacher requests for learning resources and experiences. As the most
trusted crowdfunding platform for teachers, donors, and district administrators
alike, DonorsChoose vets each request, ships the funded resources directly to
the teacher, and provides thank yous and reporting to donors and school
leaders. Charity Navigator and GuideStar have awarded DonorsChoose, a 501(c)3
nonprofit, their highest ratings for transparency and accountability. For more
information, visit www.donorschoose.org.