As teachers and students return to school following the holiday season, Box Tops for Education donated $20,000 to Oakland Elementary School in McDonough.
In addition to Oakland, Box Tops for Education donated to 13 other schools in need nationwide (in total $280,000). According to The Education Trust , low-income schools receive approximately $1,000 less per student in state and local funding, which contributes to inequity and lost opportunities for these students.
As a Title 1 school, Oakland Elementary receives federal funding to support the academic achievement of low-income students, and with 79% of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, school leaders are determined to provide the proper nutrition for all their students.
Oakland Elementary School Principal Andre Johnson said it feels amazing to be given a blessing in the form of $20,000 from Box Tops for Education.
“I’m a person that is for the students. It feels amazing to be given this opportunity to be back into their lives and just so back into the community because this community has a new principal here. This community has opened their arms and their doors and accepted me as their leader of their children and their education,” he said. “My whole purpose is just to make the school more a hub for the community, so that’s why we were so excited for this $20,000 Box Top donation allowed us to do.