Instead of spending hundreds of dollars, teachers visiting RAFT can walk away with bags full of teaching supplies and project kits for just a few bucks.

The nonprofit organization performs that budget magic by turning other companies' garbage into learning tools. Garbage in, lessons out: RAFT takes the junk and then shows teachers how to use it in the classroom. Teachers walk out with cut-rate supplies and fresh ideas.

"It's a very valuable resource," Booksin Elementary School third-grade teacher David Alderette says. "I'm not sure if people know how much time, effort and money teachers shell out. We're not looking for a handout, but RAFT is a great help."

Although Alderette receives money for supplies from the school and Booksin's parent and teacher association, he says the amount is not enough to meet all of his expenses.

"Everyone goes beyond the budget they receive," he says.

And Alderette isn't alone.

"We get about 325 teachers a week, mostly on Saturdays," Executive Director Mary Simon says. "RAFT-a-holics! I always knew this is how it would turn out."

The nonprofit has grown more popular as school budgets have shrunk. According to the National Education Association, California ranks first among states in teacher salaries—with an average yearly salary in 2004 of $58,287—but ranks 25th in how much money it spends per student—$7,692. And teacher pocket digging has gotten deeper. Last year California eliminated a $1,500 tax credit that reimbursed teachers for buying classroom supplies from their own funds. Teachers also lost a $250 federal tax deduction. The National Education Association surveys determined that teachers contribute about $443 a year out of their own pockets and purses to buy basic classroom supplies like paper and pens.

But teachers with shallow pockets and a little creativity can find a near-endless supply of items and ideas at RAFT. The organization's warehouse is sectioned off by cost—teachers can grab a large bag and fill it with goodies like surplus window blinds that can be turned into flowers for $1 a bag in the dollar aisle, or move into more adventurous selections at slightly higher costs.

Tucked away into a back corner of the warehouse are top-of-the-line Pentium computers stuffed with software donated by Adobe, Microsoft, and other companies. A teacher can buy a Pentium 4 with all the gizmos for $80. Or A lower-end Pentium III for $30, complete with monitor and Windows 98 or 2000.

The computers are donated, then repaired if needed, and the hard drives are erased. Adobe's Pagemaker costs $35 for a teacher. Everyone else can expect to pay $300 retail.

Twice a month the nonprofit conducts technology workshops to show teachers how to create, for example, online student portfolios and use PowerPoint to play Jeopardy with their classes.

"Traditionally, computers are used to keep smart kids busy," Simon says. At RAFT the goal is to turn the computer into a teaching tool rather than a 'make work' solution.

But for Alderette, the cheaper and lower-tech selections work just fine. He says he relies on RAFT primarily to stock his "prize box"—a collection of goodies for students who perform well. He also uses the odds and ends he finds at the warehouse to create the hands-on activities his students find particularly engaging.

"I like to do activities that aren't just boring paper-and-pencil activities," the third-grade teacher says.

And transforming corporate castoffs into art projects and classroom tools gives Alderette an outlet for his imagination.

"It's like going to a garage sale," he says. "You never know what you are going to get. You have to use your imagination."

Lots For Little

To help teachers learn ways to add inventiveness to education, RAFT also hosts weekly workshops with topics spanning from Harry Potter science to the math, art, and the science of kaleidoscopes and electrical circuits. The most expensive workshop costs $25 for RAFT members. The other workshops are free.

St. Christopher's Elementary School math teacher Kathy Aldridge has taken advantage of RAFT's course offerings for the past two years. She says the classes have helped her develop innovative ways to teach math using everyday objects like playing cards, dice, measuring tape and beads.

"It's great for keeping up-to-date," Aldridge says. "I take the courses, but sometimes I forget and need a refresher. They have great ideas, especially for math and science. And it's really cheap."

One of Aldridge's favorite finds at RAFT has been tile separators, which she shapes into plus and minus signs to teach her students about integers.

RAFT has also created pre-made kits that teachers can purchase. Using the kit, students and educators can create tools such as spectrascopes—instruments that demonstrate light refraction. Each kit costs between $1 to $2, and contains enough materials for 20 students. Detailed instructions and a list of educational tips accompany the packages, so teachers know exactly how to use the project to augment their lesson plan.

"RAFT gives you not only the tools but also the ideas," Aldridge says.

As a former teacher, RAFT's executive director remembers the days when she had a small budget for classroom essentials.

"Teachers are good at scrounging," she says. "It's the only way we survive."

After retiring, Simon wanted to continue serving teachers and students. Her solution was to come up with RAFT. On the nonprofit's first day 10 years ago, 100 teachers signed up. Nine months later, membership swelled to 1,000 teachers.

Currently RAFT is expanding into Alameda County, and considering building a second warehouse in Sacramento. Teachers drive from as far away as Modesto in carpools once a month to see what's new at RAFT.

The nonprofit has also widened its audience. Now other organizations like Girl Scout troops and early childcare providers can stock up at the warehouse.

RAFT supplies its warehouse with donations from local businesses and picks up items for free. Simon says that businesses as well as educators can benefit from the organization.

"We save businesses money," she says. "If they have stuff that they don't want, they would have to pay for someone to take it. We do it for free, and they can write it off their taxes."

Butch Coyne, RAFT's media director, says the hardest part is convincing companies that RAFT wants their junk. "We even make mini-books from Lipton tea bags—'peek a books'," he says.

But it's the "junk" that keeps teachers coming back for more.

"It's a great organization," Aldridge says. "I would hate to see it go away. I wish more teachers knew about it."

Resource Area For Teachers (RAFT), is located at 1355 Ridder Park Drive in San Jose. For more information, visit www.raft.net or call 408.451.1420

Meghan O'Hare contributed to this story.