California Retired Teachers Association
Funds to be used for classroom supplies, incentives
Sue Breyer | CalRTA Div. 33 Vice President
Five local educators were the lucky recipients of the California Retired Teachers Association’s recent teacher grants. Teachers had two different opportunities to secure a $100 teacher grant – the state CalRTA office held its “no strings attached” grant drawing the end of October and awarded 35 $100 grants to teachers across the state.
Angela Mitchell, a first grade teacher from Abby Reinke Elementary School in Temecula, was one of the 35 state recipients. CalRTA Division 33 – which represents Hemet, San Jacinto, Menifee, Romoland, Nuview and surrounding districts – held its most recent teacher grant drawing at their December 5th holiday luncheon, randomly selecting four $100 teacher grant winners: Maria Villegas, Romoland Elementary School; Tim Kurdmisto, Tahquitz High School; Danielle Hearron, Cawston Elementary School; and Rachel Lee, Nuview Elementary School. Maria Villegas, who serves as school librarian for Romoland Elementary School in Romoland, used her $100 grant to “purchase bookmarks and bracelets for our Seuss event for our students.
Our students will be excited and happy to receive these items! Thank you very much.” Hemet’s Tahquitz High School biology teacher and swim and water polo coach, Tim Kurdmisto, says, “The funds are going to be used for lab supplies.
Thank you!” Danielle Hearron teaches third grade at Cawston Elementary School in Hemet. She says that she will put the $100 toward treasure box rewards for her students. When she was notified that she was a $100 teacher grant recipient, Nuview Elementary School 6th grade teacher Rachel Lee said, “I would love to purchase some flexible seating for my classroom and an easel to post my anchor charts on! I might even buy some supplies for our festive holiday stem activities.
Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity!” Angela Mitchell, first grade teacher at Abby Reinke Elementary School in Temecula, received a $100 check from the CalRTA state teacher grant program but was pleasantly surprised when she was handed a matching $100 bill from Division 33 Board members Tim Mathos and Tom Green, for a total of $200. The CalRTA State office’s next round of teacher grants opens January 24, 2024, and it will randomly draw the names of 35 lucky winners in mid-February.
California public school teachers can access registration information by going to calrta.org/teacher-grants. CalRTA Division 33 will open its next round of teacher grant registrations on January 2, 2024 and will hold its next drawing on Tuesday, February 13th. Teachers in the Hemet, San Jacinto, Nuview, Menifee and Romoland School Districts may access the registration form at tinyurl.com/CalRTADiv33TeacherGrant or div33.calrta.org/scholarships-and-grants.
In addition to protecting teacher pensions and fighting for Social Security fairness, another of CalRTA’s missions is to support public education, and the state and local teacher grant programs provide that much-needed support in the form of “no strings attached” monetary awards to local teachers and classrooms throughout the state. For more information about the California Retired Teachers Association, you can access their website at calrta.org.
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