OfficeMax leads the fight to end teacher-funded classrooms by hosting its third annual 'A Day Made Better' nationwide event this October

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Teachers continue to pay the price for tighter school budgets - literally. Faced with a lack of necessary classroom supplies, teachers across the country pay for these supplies with their own money. This October 6, OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX), a leader in office products and services, will again join with Adopt-A-Classroom to surprise and honor teachers across the country for the annual 'A Day Made Better'(R) event in an effort to raise awareness about the widespread problem of teacher-funded classrooms. This year's 'A Day Made Better' cause event will be hosted on October 6, 2009 when OfficeMax associates will visit approximately 1,000 public schools to surprise about 1,000 teachers each with a gift of classroom supplies worth approximately $1,000.

This year, OfficeMax surveyed 700 elementary teachers who are members of OfficeMax's MaxPerks(R) for Teachers program across the country to gain perspective on how the economic downturn has impacted schools, classrooms and teachers. Key findings from the survey include:

• Ninety-seven percent (97%) of teachers surveyed said their school was impacted by budget cuts
• Eighty-six percent (86%) of teachers said budget cuts affected their ability to secure necessary classroom supplies.
• More than fifty percent (50%) reported a significant increase in layoffs and reduction of learning resources for students due to insufficient school funding.
• Sixty percent (60%) of teachers surveyed feel less motivated following budget cuts
• Ninety-two percent (92%) of teachers do not foresee an end to out-of-pocket spending on supplies for their classrooms.
  

"Teachers play such an important role supporting, inspiring and educating our country's future generation, and it's unfair that teachers should have to bear the costs of also supplying their classrooms with everyday supplies," said Ryan Vero, EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer for OfficeMax. "Through 'A Day Made Better,' we're creating a movement to end teacher-funded classrooms."

In preparation for the nationwide cause event on October 6, OfficeMax is working with partner Adopt-A-Classroom, a not-for-profit organization supporting teachers in the classroom, to identify Title I public schools across the country where classroom needs are great with a significant number of students from low-income families.