Solid foundation

Teachers in the Cape Girardeau School District could soon be getting checks for money they need to buy classroom supplies.

Donations through the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation will help teachers buy the supplies they need -- or want but couldn't afford to buy themselves -- for classroom projects and lessons.

The grants will be given by representatives of the foundation. Teachers will have to write grant requests and present them to the foundation's board of directors for consideration.

After hiring a consultant and its first full-time director, the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation is making great strides. The foundation hopes to raise $100,000 through April. So far, the foundation has taken in $30,000.

The grants will be distributed to teachers in March and April on a day when the teachers aren't really expecting them. The surprise is part of the fun for the foundation. And the teachers will enjoy the benefits of money for educating students, who are at the heart of what the foundation is all about.