Macerich Shopping Centers Fill the 'Teachers Supply Closet' With New National Program
May 03 2005 - 12:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Macerich Shopping Centers Fill the 'Teachers Supply Closet' With
New National Program Survey Shows Teachers Spend $475 Out-of-Pocket
for Classroom Supplies Each Year SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 3
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Most teachers spend hundreds of dollars
out of their own pockets to purchase classroom supplies and
materials reveals a new survey released today by The Macerich
Company (NYSE:MAC) for the launch of its Teachers Supply Closet
campaign. The new year-round program, kicking-off now in the
company's shopping centers across the country for National Teacher
Appreciation Week, will involve communities in helping teachers
provide much-needed classroom materials. Macerich says Teachers
Supply Closet aims to raise awareness and offset the personal
financial burden placed on many teachers -- a problem that has
worsened in some states due to cuts in budgets and reimbursement
programs. Program components include the Teachers Supply Closet
Gift Card, the Educator Discount Card, supply drives, school
fundraising shopping events and more. The results of the recent
teacher survey underscore the need for the new program: * Virtually
all (97.3 percent) teachers report spending personal funds to
purchase classroom supplies * Almost 69 percent of teachers say
they do not receive adequate classroom supplies * The average
teacher spends $474.71 of personal money on classroom supplies and
materials each year * Almost two-thirds (62.9 percent) of teachers
say their spending is influenced by budget cuts * Nearly two-fifths
(38.5 percent) of teachers say they are spending more than last
year, while over half (53.9 percent) say they are spending the same
amount as last year. * Limited funding for supplies is the second
biggest challenge facing teachers, selected by 20.3 percent of
participants, followed closely by "too much paperwork" (19.6
percent). Standardized curriculums took the lead as the top
concern, selected by 24 percent. "Notably, almost 87 percent of
teachers surveyed said that the lack of funding for supplies has a
significant impact on the quality of education in their
classrooms," explained Susan Valentine, Macerich senior vice
president of marketing. "This is a need that has to be addressed to
not only assist our teachers but for the benefit of our children.
Teachers Supply Closet engages the community in helping to offset
the personal financial commitments made by teachers." Starting this
month, patrons are encouraged to participate by purchasing a
Teachers Supply Closet Gift Card for a favorite teacher to use when
buying classroom supplies. Shoppers can provide the card to a
teacher of their choice or chose to have the mall deliver it to
school principals for distribution to teachers. Virtually all (98.4
percent) of teachers surveyed said they would use a gift card to
purchase classroom supplies and materials. Teachers and all
school/district employees can also visit Macerich mall Guest
Services Centers to sign-up for the free Educator Discount Card to
benefit from year-round discounts and promotions. When asked which
supplies they bought most often, teachers listed student incentives
(selected by 22 percent), arts/crafts supplies (15 percent),
educational resources (15 percent), writing utensils (13 percent)
and paper products (12 percent) as the top five. The Macerich
Company created the Teachers Supply Closet program in response to
its community audits showing that educational cutbacks are a top
concern among communities. In addition to the Macerich teacher
survey, other research shows that teachers nationwide are spending
an average of over $400.00 each year of personal income to purchase
needed classroom supplies. "In most professions, employees are not
expected to spend their own money for required work materials, yet
it is all too commonplace for teachers," added Valentine. "Nearly
60 percent (59. 6 percent) of educators surveyed said the community
does not recognize the contribution of teachers, but this program
provides a way to raise awareness and for the community to give
back to those who are sharing their invaluable knowledge and
guidance with our children." The spot survey of 440 teachers was
conducted for The Macerich Company by August Partners within school
systems in five U.S. markets. Survey margin of error is plus or
minus 5 percent. Additional survey highlights are available upon
request. National program sponsor U.S. Bank will contribute $1 for
every Teachers Supply Closet Gift Card sold this year to provide up
to $59,000 in gift cards for local teachers. Visit a local Macerich
mall Guest Services Center or
http://www.wemakegoodthingshappen.com/ for more information on
Teachers Supply Closet. The Macerich Company is a fully integrated
self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust,
which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development
and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States.
The Company is the sole general partner and owns an 81% ownership
interest in The Macerich Partnership, L.P. Macerich now owns
approximately 77 million square feet of gross leaseable area
consisting primarily of interests in 76 regional malls. Additional
information about The Macerich Company can be obtained from the
Company's Web site at http://www.macerich.com/ . TEACHERS SUPPLY
CLOSET PROGRAM COMPONENTS * Teachers Supply Closet Gift Card -- The
community is encouraged to purchase and give the gift card to a
teacher for use when buying classroom supplies. The gift cards can
be used anywhere Visa(R) debit cards are accepted. * Educator
Discount Card -- Educators, teachers and all school/district
employees may register at the mall to receive a complimentary
discount card to be used for exclusive year-round shopping
discounts and promotions. * Supply Drives -- Malls will host supply
drives to assist teachers in gathering requested and necessary
classroom supplies. * Friends & Family Fundraising Shopping Day
-- Public, private and charter schools, along with community
colleges and universities, may sell tickets to this exclusive mall
discount shopping day in December. All ticket sale proceeds will be
kept by the selling organization. Registration and information
available at a Macerich mall Guest Services Center. DATASOURCE: The
Macerich Company CONTACT: Tresa Hardt, , or Kim Craig, both of
Lovell Public Relations, +1-972-788-4511, for The Macerich Company
Web site: http://www.macerich.com/
http://www.wemakegoodthingshappen.com/
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