Owasso Teachers Receive $60,000 In Grants For Classroom Projects

Christmas came early for some Owasso teachers on Thursday.

The Owasso Education Foundation awarded more than $60,000, and the money will pay for projects and programs.

In Ashley Funburg's special education class at Stone Canyon Elementary, she wants her students to have what they need for success.

"I have kids with a variety of disabilities. A lot of the kids like to sit at the table, sit on the floor; some like to sit in the tent and read. I was trying to figure out different ways where they didn't have to sit in a regular chair," she said.

Sometimes those ideas take money. Ashley and 63 other teachers across the district are getting grants from the Owasso Education Foundation.

"It is amazing. It warms my heart. This is an awesome school; we have an awesome district. This money means a lot to me because I can really utilize it, and it's going to stay in here for years to come," she said.

Grant Killion and other members of the foundation visited 15 schools to hand out certificates to the selected teachers.

The foundation has given away $800,000 in the past seven years.

"Just seeing the joy on people’s faces as we go from school to school,” she said. “They work so hard on writing their grants; they spend weeks, and sometimes they work on them in the summer. So anything we can do to enhance the school district and the community is really exciting for us."

Laura Rogers received more than $1,100.

"I feel really blessed and honored that they chose me. It’s huge for me to be able to have the opportunity to get the things that I think my classroom needs and to have the freedom to be able to do that," she said.

Needs that wouldn't have happened without the help of the Education Foundation.