Good Afternoon District 194 Families,

We are excited to share an important change for the upcoming school year that will better support our students and families.

Beginning next school year, Steger School District 194 will provide basic school supplies for all students at all three schools. This includes many of the classroom materials families have traditionally been asked to purchase and send to school, such as crayons, glue sticks, Kleenex, notebooks, pencils, and other everyday classroom supplies. 

For many years, purchasing school supplies has been a regular part of preparing for the school year. Moving forward, we believe the district can and should take on the responsibility of providing these essential classroom materials for students. 

Our hope is that this change will help reduce the financial burden on families, especially those with multiple children in our schools, while also helping make the start of the school year smoother and less stressful for everyone.  

Throughout the summer, our district team will work to organize and prepare classroom supply bins that will be delivered directly to teachers before students arrive. These supply bins are being developed based on the grade-level supply lists created by our teachers and staff. We will also have a process in place for teachers to request additional supplies throughout the school year as needed.

Families will still be responsible for providing personal items such as backpacks, gym shoes, lunchboxes, and other individualized student items. In some cases, teachers or schools may request a specific folder, planner, or special item connected to a classroom activity or program. But this should be minimal. 

I would like to thank Eric Diehl, our Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, Dr. JR Entsminger, our Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation, and Megan Van Houtegen, administrative assistant in our district office, as well as our building administrators, for their work in helping develop this plan and bring it to reality. 

I would also like to thank our Board of Education for their continued support of initiatives that directly benefit our students and families.

We are excited to take this step forward as we continue working together to remove barriers and create the best possible learning environment for every child.

Sincerely,