Dothan City Schools receive needed supplies

Five Dothan City Schools will benefit from a donation of school supplies from local civic leaders.

The Southeast Alabama Community Foundation donated about $5,000 to help schools purchase paper, wipes, printer cartridges and other materials made scarce by recent budget cuts. Local vendors sold the materials at cost.

“The schools ended up with about $7,000 worth of product,” said Dennis Egge, of U.S. Business Products.

Recent budget reductions have eliminated the funds that teachers are reimbursed for buying school supplies and also cut principals’ discretionary funds. This has impacted schools’ ability to provide needed items like paper, markers, printer cartridges and the like.

Gayla White, a member of Dothan’s Tuesday Rotary Club, said the donation showed that Dothan has a community that is active and involved in the city schools.

The donated items will go to Dothan High School, Selma Street Elementary School, Grandview Elementary School, Honeysuckle Middle School and Cloverdale Elementary School. White said the materials were donated to some of the highest poverty schools in the district.

“We’re very grateful because we’ve all been trying to hang in there,” said Aneta Walker, Cloverdale Elementary School principal. “These are greatly needed supplies.”