Local businesses donate to NPPS teachers

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) - Several businesses are donating to local school teachers to help them prepare for the upcoming school year.

The North Platte Public School District kicked off their ‘Back to School’ event Tuesday morning. Superintendent Dr. Ron Hanson said the district had been planning for the event since last October.

“Our Board of Education Vice-President Jo Ann Lundgreen came to me with an idea of how we can show appreciation to our teachers and staff,” Hanson said.

The district was challenged by the school board to use the money they would normally spend on a key-note speaker in a different way to support teachers.

“We funneled all of our resources into one pot and we were able to provide all of our teachers with a $100 gift card from Wal-Mart to buy school supplies for back to school,” said Hanson.

The donation was made possible by the school district’s business partners which include, Nebraskaland National Bank, Dunkin’ Donuts Wal-Mart and the North Platte Public Schools Foundation.

According to AdoptAClassroom.org, teachers spent an average of $745 on school supplies during the 2019-2020 school year. Forty-five percent of teachers said their spending has increased since distance learning began.

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