Teachers Surprised With $100,000 'Donors Choose' Gift At Tulsa Elementary School

Some Tulsa teachers were surprised with a big financial gift on Friday.

Many teachers are familiar with "donors choose" because they've used it to apply for funding.

On Friday, with no paperwork, all of the teachers at Burroughs Elementary School in Tulsa got the funding they needed.

The students didn't know what was coming and the teachers didn't either, except that it somehow related to Black History Month.

"I stand here as the first black female superintendent of the district," said TPS superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson. "...That we are donating $100,000 to the teachers here at Burroughs Elementary School!"

Confetti rained down, a drumline played and the principal showed off the number.

The $100,000 from Donors Choose is available for the 48 teachers and staff, and their 310 students.

It was a complete surprise.

"TPS does a great job of giving us what we need," said Burroughs Elementary principal Dee Tisdale. "This money will be for what we want. We want to get books into the hands of children, we want to do some of these projects that are out of the box, so that we can expand their thinking. We have a lot of ideas in the incubator, and so now we get to see them birthed."

The diversity of the Burroughs Bobcats comes long after the school was Tulsa's first elementary to integrate.

That's part of the reason the school was chosen for the donation.

"Many of our students come, they need us to love them, and understand them and contribute to their lives, and that's what this does for them, so we're excited," Dr. Johnson said.

There are plenty of teachers in other Tulsa and Oklahoma schools with needs on Donors Choose waiting on funding.

The teachers at Burroughs, for now, have their wish list fulfilled.