{"id":8220,"date":"2026-07-17T02:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8220"},"modified":"2026-07-17T02:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:54:08","slug":"mississippi-teachers-say-new-state-mandated-process-for-buying-classroom-supplies-is-more-difficult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8220","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi teachers say new state-mandated process for buying classroom supplies is more difficult"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">Weeks before the first day of school, teachers across Mississippi say state leaders have made it more difficult for them to access money for classroom supplies. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Educators have to complete training before they\u2019re able to spend the money the state gives them for classroom supplies, but teachers say the live training has been hard to access \u2014 the online meetings have been filled to capacity. Teachers also say that to buy from local vendors, they now have to go through an arduous reimbursement process. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The money for teachers\u2019 classroom supplies comes from the Education Enhancement Fund, or procurement card program. EEF, established in 2012, gives every K-12 public school teacher $748 \u2014 around $25 million in total \u2014 to buy supplies for their classrooms. But educators have long said they get the money too late for it to be useful. A report released last year by State Auditor Shad White\u2019s office found that a bulk of the money is <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/mississippitoday.org\/2025\/07\/22\/auditor-mississippi-gives-teachers-classroom-supply-money-too-late-ed-officials-say-issue-is-already-fixed\/\">locked for teachers<\/a> as they prepare their classrooms because of the state-mandated Aug. 1 deadline to activate the cards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">This year, Mississippi Department of Education leaders said they wanted to <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/mississippitoday.org\/2026\/07\/01\/teachers-classroom-supplies-money\/\">make the process easier for teachers<\/a> by giving districts access to the money on July 15 and switching from physical cards to a digital wallet platform.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The agency has a one-year $573,000 contract with the platform ClassWallet, according to Shanderia Minor, a spokesperson for the state Education Department. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The new platform is used in several states and allows teachers to purchase supplies directly from online, pre-approved vendors. State Superintendent Lance Evans said ClassWallet streamlines the process of buying classroom supplies, and the change reflects input from school district leaders across Mississippi. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">One frustration for teachers is that many of the vendors they buy supplies from are <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/classwallet.com\/resources\/classwallet-vendor-list.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawTB8JtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEzYlVmemRiSVRGd29wenpxc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrNpSAepfAYIE0J0JI8MSG9wGQ46uCIN4_aDBvNVyFWQgqTuBfo_JuTuVTdx_aem_OYs4aE0uwcwGH8lf5EWjaA\">not included in the list of more than 160 vendors on ClassWallet\u2019s marketplace<\/a>, where teachers can spend their EEF money.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">According to the state Education Department\u2019s website, five Mississippi-based vendors are approved for teacher reimbursements, as are Walmart and TeachersPayTeachers, an online marketplace for classroom supplies. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But teachers then have to spend their own money upfront. Additionally, their purchase must be approved before they can be reimbursed. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">If teachers want to buy from local vendors not included on that list, the state Department of Education must first contact that vendor to ensure they\u2019ll give teachers itemized receipts and that the items will be tax exempt. Then the vendor will be added to the list, and teachers can submit reimbursement requests through ClassWallet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Because of the administrative burden, educators are concerned they\u2019ll have to wait weeks to get their money back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cThe words I\u2019ve heard are \u2018insane,\u2019 \u2018cumbersome,\u2019 and \u2018frustrating,\u2019\u201d said Kelly Riley, executive director of Mississippi Professional Educators. Riley said she\u2019s received numerous emails from educators across the state who are confused by the new process and annoyed by the extra layers of bureaucracy. \u201cThere\u2019s just a lot of unknowns at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">White\u2019s office <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/1BU9ERQT94\/\">released a statement<\/a> on social media Tuesday that the education agency has \u201cmisinformed the public\u201d about the program and called on the state Education Department to rectify issues with the new process. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cTeachers will again, through no fault of their own, have to spend their own funds to get classroom supplies while they\u2019re forced to navigate through bureaucratic hoops to get the money promised to them,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cThis should not be complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">State Education Department officials say they\u2019ve been communicating with districts for months, but some teachers say the change has caught them by surprise. Additionally, educators must first attend or watch one of five <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/financialservices\/eefprocurementcardprogram\/\">virtual training sessions<\/a> scheduled this month before their district can activate their accounts. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Many teachers say they were unable to access the first training on July 13. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Marie Lane, a longtime special education teacher in north Mississippi, was one of those teachers waiting for the Zoom meeting to start on Monday. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cAt 8:40 a.m., I had my notebook out, my laptop plugging in, all excited,\u201d she said. But as the 9 a.m. meeting started, Lane was still waiting to get in. She got a message a few minutes later that the webinar had reached capacity. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Lane hopes she can get into one of the other meetings. She\u2019s been gleaning what she can from other educators on social media. That\u2019s how Lane realized how much the state was paying ClassWallet to administer the EEF program. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cThat really grates on my last nerve,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s money that could be spent in the classrooms for these kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">She\u2019s doubtful she\u2019ll get what she needs for her class \u2014 such as cups for paint to make learning more accessible for her students, a walkie-talkie to communicate with her assistant teacher, dim lamps for her students with sensory needs \u2014 before the first day of school on Aug. 3.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cThere\u2019s no way at this point I\u2019ll be able to submit a list and get it by the time students are back,\u201d she said. \u201cLots of times when you\u2019re teaching and someone isn\u2019t getting what we\u2019re doing, you think, \u2018If I could run to Walmart real quick for Play-Doh or beads, I could help them.\u2019 But now, if we don\u2019t want to spend our own money, we\u2019re going to have to place an order, wait for it to be accepted and delivered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Lane plans to use the money she\u2019s gotten from a recent yard sale and selling items on Facebook to buy the supplies she needs. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cWe as teachers have enough on our plate,\u201d she said. \u201cFor special education teachers like me, it\u2019s still required that our students meet certain standards. Meeting those without the supplies we need is going to be really tough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Riley said that\u2019s a frustration being voiced by educators across the state. They\u2019re also concerned about the platform\u2019s vendor list, she said, which includes about 50 homeschool-centric vendors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">ClassWallet\u2019s website promotes <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/mississippitoday.org\/2026\/01\/20\/mississippi-federal-school-choice-tax-credits-reeves\/\">the new federal tax scholarship program<\/a> and includes testimonials from homeschoolers and education savings account recipients across the country. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Jean Cook, a spokesperson for the state education agency, said the homeschool vendors are included on ClassWallet\u2019s list because the platform operates across the country. The Mississippi-specific vendor list will be updated weekly, according to the agency\u2019s website. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">A <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/2026\/07\/13\/mde-to-make-teaching-supply-funds-available-to-districts-july-15-through-new-digital-wallet-platform\/\">statement<\/a> released by the education agency on Monday notes, \u201cMany other states do not have programs like Mississippi\u2019s that give teachers money to buy supplemental instructional materials for their individual classrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">David Bates, a former teacher, is the owner of one of the Mississippi-approved vendors \u2014 Old School Learning Depot in Pascagoula. His business provides tutoring services for students after school and sells classroom supplies for teachers. In past years, Bates drove a bus packed with supplies to local schools, allowing teachers to buy in-person with their EEF cards without leaving school property. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But now, he estimates that the new process will result in a $60,000 loss in revenue for his business because teachers will want to avoid spending their own money.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cFor a mom-and-pop shop, that is a pretty big chunk of money,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cI\u2019m not combating change,\u201d Bates said. \u201cI just want the opportunity to be part of the change. I\u2019m frustrated about last-minute rollout and last-minute communication about how to make this work for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Keyana Hawthorne, an English teacher at Murrah High School in Jackson, was initially skeptical about the agency switching to ClassWallet. Now, she said she hates that she was right. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Hawthorne plans to attend a training on July 28, which she said conflicts with the professional development she receives in the days leading up to school. Her students return July 29. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">As a result, all of her classroom supplies will come out of her own pocket this year, Hawthorne said. She\u2019s planning to buy them in increments because she can\u2019t afford to buy everything in one go. With two children of her own to buy school supplies for, Hawthorne said she\u2019s overwhelmed, frustrated and disappointed. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cThis is pulling from my little budget, and it makes me question: How are we supposed to survive over here?\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m so frustrated right now. This is what happens when teachers aren\u2019t asked to sit at the tables where crucial decisions are being made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">___<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">This story was originally published by <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/mississippitoday.org\/\">Mississippi Today<\/a> and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Weeks before the first day of school, teachers across Mississippi say state leaders have made it more difficult for them to access money for classroom supplies. Educators have to complete training before they\u2019re able to spend the money the state gives them for classroom supplies, but teachers say the live training has been hard to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.abcnews.com\/images\/US\/abc_news_default_2000x2000_update_16x9_992.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8220\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}