The Columbia Public Schools Foundation (CPSF) announced New Educator Grants for educators new to the Columbia Public Schools (CPS), surprising each with a $100 gift card. The Foundation made the announcement today at the CPS New Educator Breakfast held at Gentry Middle School.

This is the third year for the Foundation’s New Educator grant program. Each new educator received a $100 gift card to use as they need to help establish their classrooms. In total, the Foundation is expected to give out about 200 gift cards to new educators, or about $20,000. The Foundation’s board members were on hand at the breakfast to distribute the gift cards to the new educators.

“This is an exciting day for the Foundation as we welcome our new teachers and show them our community support,” said Katie Harris, executive director of CPSF. “We appreciate our new teachers and want to help them as they’re setting up their classrooms and starting their teaching careers with the best school district in the state.”

Thanks to the Foundation’s partnership with Central Bank of Boone County, the gift cards have zero fees. The new educators will receive the full $100 amount on their cards.

The Columbia Public Schools Foundation is a private foundation established by community volunteers dedicated to the enrichment of public education through community giving. The Foundation has funded projects in every school, allocating more than $1.7 million to enhance education in the Columbia
Public Schools. CPSF was founded in 1996 and has supported teachers and students for 29 years.