ROUND ROCK, Texas — Many Central Texas students are just a week away from the first day of school, including at Round Rock ISD.
Teachers on Tuesday were getting their classrooms ready, but many of them pay out of their own pockets for supplies and decorations.
A former teacher is trying to help Round Rock employees with a program called Helping Hands for RRISD. It is a Facebook page put together by former teacher Laura Unnasch.
"A staff member can ask for something they need – 'I need 24 markers, dry-erase markers' – and a community member can answer that wish," Unnasch said.
She said there is a big need to not only help Round Rock teachers but teachers around the state. She said teachers do get some help, but the State of Texas is not helping enough.
"We have the money do right by the kids, and it didn't happen – and it’s not OK," Unnasch said.
Carolyn Scalan is a teacher at Gattis Elementary in Round Rock. She said the kids mean the world to her.
"I just love their passion for thinking outside the box and their ideas," Scalan said.
She buys some school supplies out of her own pocket and said that can be challenging with the cost of living going up. She received help from Helping Hands for RRISD.
"It is amazing to see people care about education and students," she said.
Unnasch she said she will continue to run the Facebook page and help the teachers the best she can.
"It is so humbling to see how generous everyone is and how much people truly care about public education," Unnasch said.