Kids Tag Art To Provide Back-To-School Supplies For Teachers

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL —Among those rushing to scoop up school supplies are Pinellas County teachers who routinely dig into their own pockets to keep their classrooms stocked. On Thursday, Pinellas County elementary art teachers learned about a program that will help purchase classroom supplies while giving students the opportunity to exhibit their creativity.

Representatives from the Pinellas County Tax Collector's Office met with teachers during the districtwide professional development day at St. Petersburg College's Clearwater campus to talk about Kids Tag Art Pinellas. This program, now in its fifth year, is a partnership with the Pinellas County Tax Collector's Office, Pinellas County Schools and various community sponsors.

Fifth-graders design their own front license plates during art class, with designs going on sale in time for the holidays. All proceeds from plate sales, plus donations from community sponsors, go straight to art teachers to buy classroom art supplies and fund art-themed field trips.

"Kids Tag Art Pinellas has raised well over $100,000 since its inception," said Pinellas County Tax Collector Charles W. Thomas. "We are proud to provide a creative solution to help our schools provide a quality fine arts education."

In addition to funding art classrooms, Kids Tag Art Pinellas is also a juried art competition. Retired Pinellas County art teachers select winning artists from each school. Winning artists will be invited to an awards ceremony in January where they will be recognized for their talent.

Kids Tag Art Pinellas is made possible by generous community sponsors, including platinum sponsor Mid Florida Credit Union, Tag Agency of Pinellas, Direct Mail Systems, Bill 2 Pay, the Florida Heart Foundation, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and Lauren's Kids.

Kids Tag Art Pinellas license plates go on sale for $15 apiece in late November.