PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Teachers across the Tampa Bay area are getting creative during the pandemic.
That is especially the case for art teachers in Pinellas County schools.
The district put together art kits full of everything kids could need, from glue to crayons.
The kits are a way to keep from sharing products during COVID-19. It also gives students who chose virtual learning a way to keep creative.
"Our motto this year is art never stops," says Linda Hildebrandt, an art teacher at Curtis Fundamental. "And I think kids are seeing that this year, that they can still experience art and have fun and enjoy art and express themselves whether they are at home or at school."
It was a challenge for teachers this year to make sure they had the funds to do this project. They tell ABC Action News that it was paid for through their half-cent property tax referendum.
That referendum raises about $44million a year for Pinellas County Schools. It costs a homeowner about $85 a year. The money pays for things like art, music and technology.
"We have been able to bring back strings programs, supply band uniforms and refit all the high school auditoriums for theater productions. The myriad of ways this money has been put to good use for our students, it thrills me," says Beth Rawlins with Citizens for Pinellas County Schools.
The referendum is up for a vote this November. Click here to read more from Pinellas County Schools.
