More federal relief funding has been provided to help schools safely reopen and mitigate learning loss. Active seating can be a helpful tool to combat learning loss, as it’s proven to help students remain focused and engaged in the classroom!
If you’re planning to talk to your administrator about purchasing active furniture for your classroom or school, it’s best to come prepared.
Here are 5 questions to ask yourself before starting a conversation with your administrator. PLUS, a free letter template!
1. Do I need to apply for the federal relief funding?
This differs for each state and district. For more information, you should check your State’s Department of Education website. In most cases, teachers will not need to apply. Although, your LEA or district leader might need to submit a proposal for what the funds will be used for.
2. Are there resources to help me understand the funding?
This article breaks down the different federal relief funding that has passed. Try to stay up to date with the funding because the timeline for allocations and spending can differ for each state and district. When there is multiple funding available (ESSER I, II, III) the timelines can get confusing.
3. How do I present the need for active classroom furniture?
One way to do this is to help your administrator tie the knot between active furniture and the uses outlined in the funding bills. This article explains why active classrooms are so important during this time. Coming into the conversation with research and evidence will only make your case stronger.
Another resource full of information is our free toolkit, created for teachers to utilize when advocating for their active classroom!
4. How will you implement active furniture into the classroom?
Think about how you would implement active furniture into your classroom, and ask yourself how you will manage the classroom. Read about other teachers’ experiences with active classrooms to get ideas on how you would want to manage yours!
In case your administrator asks how you will measure the impact of your active classroom, come up with a plan before the conversation. Here are some tips on how to measure the results and show the impact of active seating.
A great way to visualize how your classroom will look is with a 3D rendering. Tell us about your space and we’ll send you a 3D rendering, along with a custom list of products that would work great in your space!
5. What is your budget?
Before your admin asks how much this is going to cost, tell them how much money you will need for your classroom. But first, you will need to determine how much money your district is receiving to ensure you’re asking for a reasonable amount. Use the funding allocation tool from our friends at Gopher to see what your district is receiving. Their tool was created using public information for districts that have already received their funding. It will continuously be updated, so be sure to keep checking back!
Next, you will want to start building your active furniture list based on your budget.
Letter Template
Hello,
As you may know, more federal relief funding has been issued to districts to help students with learning loss and safely distance from each other. I would like to propose some of that money go towards my active classroom.
Active classrooms have been proven to improve students’ behavior and test scores by keeping them focused and engaged. Creating individual workstations with active furniture will make it easier for me to keep students safely distance from each other, as well as improve their time on task.
I see that our district will receive at least $_____. Based on my research, my active classroom would cost around $_______.
Attached is a floorplan of what my active classroom could look like, as well as the items I’d like to use. I plan to measure the impact of these additions by comparing test scores and behavior at the beginning, middle and end of each semester.
I look forward to discussing more about the impact of active classrooms.
Thank you,
{name}
This is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal or financial advice. To verify if you can use one of the funding sources above for active classroom furniture, please consult a purchasing authority within your district who is familiar with applicable federal, district, state, and local laws, and policies.
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