Kenton County teachers heading back to classrooms on Aug. 19 can stock up on free supplies two days earlier at the Covington Branch of the Kenton County Public Library.

The library is hosting a free teacher supply store on Aug. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon at 502 Scott St. in Covington, as reported by Link NKY. Educators can browse donated and gently used classroom materials and take home what they need at no cost.

No catch. Teachers must bring a valid school or facility ID. Homeschool families can attend with a letter of intent.

The event is open to teachers across the Kenton County School District, which employs more than 790 educators at 18 schools. District schools in the NKY Current coverage area include Dixie Heights High School in Edgewood, J.A. Caywood Elementary in Edgewood, Fort Wright Elementary and River Ridge Elementary in Villa Hills.

The free supplies come as teachers nationally continue to dig into their own wallets for classroom basics. About 90 percent of teachers spend their own money on supplies, shelling out between $500 and $900 per year, according to the National Education Association. School supply costs rose 7.3 percent for the 2025-26 school year, nearly triple the overall inflation rate. Teacher out-of-pocket spending has climbed 49 percent since 2015, according to a survey by Adopt a Classroom, which also found 97 percent of teachers said their school's budget fell short of covering their needs.

"We know that teachers pour their hearts, and often their own resources, into their classrooms," said Kari Jones, outreach branch manager at the Kenton County Public Library, in a blog post announcing the event.

Beyond the supply store, the library's STREAM Centers at the Erlanger and Covington branches offer teachers access to poster printers, Cricut machines, 3D printers and other tools for creating banners, bulletin boards and custom stickers. Patrons pay only for materials. Appointments can be scheduled at kentonlibrary.org/stream or by calling 859-962-4000.

The library's Educator Services division also offers educator library cards, curriculum kits and homeschool resources year-round at kentonlibrary.org/educators.

The first day of school for Kenton County School District students is Aug. 19.