CL&P Continues to Support the R.J. Kinsella Magnet School with a TeacherDollars™ Donation

Pat McCullough (left) NU Foundation president, Ken Bowes, CL&P vice president - customer operations, Robert Patricelli, NU Trustee and founder of TeacherDollars™ and Pamela Totten Alvarado, principal of R.J. Kinsella Magnet School of Performing Arts

Hartford Public Schools' TeacherDollars™ Program Really Pays Off

Every school year, teachers across Connecticut spend up to $1,000 out of their own pockets on materials and equipment for their classrooms to enhance their students’ learning experience. Now, that burden is alleviated for teachers at some Hartford schools, through a program designed to make sure that students have the resources they need to continue learning.

TeacherDollars™ is an innovative program administered by Hartford Public Schools that aims to close the achievement gap between low-income students and those living in more affluent neighborhoods by providing inner-city teachers, principals, and school aides with funding to supplement the limited budget of the underserved school district. Funding for the program comes from corporate sponsors, organizations and individuals, and is distributed in the form of special debit cards honored at designated stores. The prepaid cards cover the cost of instructional and motivational materials for the classroom that help increase student literacy and math skills.

Hartford’s Richard J. Kinsella Magnet School of the Performing Arts has been a recipient of TeacherDollars™ for the past three years. “The superintendent sets certain achievement standards,” said Kinsella Principal Pam Totten Alvarado, “and we have met those by leading the district with the largest gains on the Connecticut Mastery Test.”

As part of its ongoing support of the school, CL&P directed its entire TeacherDollars™ contribution this year to the Kinsella Magnet School. This focus made it possible to distribute TeacherDollars™ Cards to all of the school’s certified educational professionals for the first time. Reading and curriculum specialists, special educators, the school psychologist and social worker, as well as all of Kinsella’s regular classroom teachers received a total of 54 cards, saving each recipient $200 in out-of-pocket expenses.

“CL&P has supported us for years, most notably by sponsoring our after-school program, which targets those students who need help the most,” said Alvarado. “Their direct contribution to our TeacherDollars™ funding feeds into that as well by providing even more opportunity to give these kids additional support and instruction.”

In one example, Literacy Coach Maria Van Nostrand recently used her TeacherDollars™ toward the purchase of a phonics center. “The kids love it!” said Van Nostrand, “This is such a wonderful program. It gives us the opportunity to purchase more of the things these students really need.”

“It’s a great honor to be a recipient of TeacherDollars™ funding,” said Alvarado. “It really gives the teachers a sense of recognition for their hard work, and validates that everything they do to help build our students’ mastery is meaningful, and that it does bring about positive change for these kids.”