Each year, the Driscoll PTO sets aside $10,000 in our annual budget for Teacher Grants, which fund classroom supplies/equipment and professional development opportunities that support students and the learning experience. For the 2023 - 2024 school year, we have increased this amount to $12,000 to allow for more requests as teachers settle into the new building.
If you are an educator and have a special project that would enhance the educational experience at Driscoll, we encourage you to apply for a grant.
Examples of recent successful grants include:
Diverse books for the classroom library (1st Grade teachers)
Table and stools to create an additional project/group work space (5th grade teacher)
Conference registration: Teaching Struggling Brains Improving Mental Health, Focus, Motivation, and Learning in a Distressed, Digital Generation (5th grade teacher)
Guided Reading Library (Learning Center teachers)
Books for upcoming author visit (Driscoll librarian)
Application and Deadlines
The deadline for Fall 2023 grant applications is Sunday, November 19 at 5pm. There will be another round of grants in Winter/Spring 2024; deadline TBA but likely late February or early March.
To apply, please fill out this form.
We want to help as many of our educators as possible, so we ask that the amount requested not exceed $1,000 per teacher, unless exceptional circumstances exist.
Annual Classroom Supply Allowance and Golden Ticket Requests
Every returning teacher gets an allowance of $150 to be spent on classroom supplies each year. This is a “use it or lose it” policy. Every teacher who is new to Driscoll gets an allowance of $250 to be spent on classroom supplies in their first year. Again, this is a “use it or lose it” policy. To submit your annual allowance request, please email receipts to driscollptotreasurer@gmail.com with the subject line “Annual Classroom Supply Allowance”.
We also set aside $1,000 in the PTO budget for Golden Ticket requests. Golden Tickets are usually smaller expense reimbursements, outside of the $150 classroom materials budget, but that are more time-sensitive and smaller than a Teacher Grant (like a white board, educational books, etc.). To submit a Golden Ticket request, please email driscollpto@gmail.com. These requests are vetted on a rolling basis.
FAQs for Educators
What if I have a request that falls in-between grant periods?
While the PTO prefers to review grant requests during the Fall and Winter/Spring grant applications, we understand that needs may arise at different points in the year. You can either submit a Golden Ticket request, or simply email driscollpto@gmail.com explaining your request and its time sensitivity, and we will take it under consideration.
What types of requests are NOT eligible for Teacher Grants?
Teacher grants typically fund classroom supplies/equipment and professional development opportunities that support students and the learning experience. Please note that while we will cover the cost of conference registration, we cannot cover travel or accommodation costs. We recommend exploring Brookline Education Foundation grants for conference grant opportunities.
How does reimbursement work?
In order to get reimbursed for a Teacher Grant, a teacher must submit a reimbursement form and attach all the receipts which add up to the amount of the reimbursement they are requesting. The paper reimbursement form is located in a folder that is hanging to the left of the safe door outside the principal’s office; it can also be found online here.
There are two ways to submit the completed form: (1) leave the completed form with the receipts attached in the Completed Reimbursements Folder also hanging to the left of the safe door outside the principal’s office, or (2) email a pdf of the completed form with a pdf of the receipts to driscollptotreasurer@gmail.com. Requests for reimbursement should be submitted within 30 days of incurring the expense, and must be submitted no later than the end of the school year to be eligible for reimbursement.
For questions about Teacher Grants, please contact Driscoll PTO @ Driscollpto@gmail.com