The Coachella Valley & Morongo Basin electrical contractor commits to clearing desert teachers’ supply lists every year, with winners chosen by the community
Home Team Electric, the family-owned residential electrical contractor that has served Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin homeowners since 2006, completed the seventh year of Clear the List, its annual campaign that buys classroom supplies from local teachers’ own wish lists. Nineteen teachers from Palm Springs to Twentynine Palms received supplies chosen from their lists, and a community vote decided the size of each award.
This year’s campaign ran in two phases: 20 teachers signed up during a July window, 19 of them qualified as educators in the company’s service area, and neighbors across the desert then voted from July 30 through August 6. Every qualifying teacher received an award, and vote rank set its size. The five teachers with the most votes received up to $300 in supplies each, the next 10 received up to $100 each and the final four received up to $50 each, for up to $2,700 in classroom supplies in all. Supplies were purchased directly from the Amazon wish lists teachers submitted, so every notebook, crayon box and science kit is something that teacher chose for their own students.
The program is the company’s local, independent take on the national #ClearTheList movement, and it answers a documented need. Teachers responding to AdoptAClassroom.org’s 2025 Teacher Spending Survey reported spending an average of $895 of their own money on school supplies during the 2024-25 school year. The same survey put the median school-provided supply budget at $200, and 97 percent of teachers said their budget was not enough to cover their needs. Federal data point the same way: the National Center for Education Statistics’ 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey found that 93.6 percent of public and private school teachers spent their own money on classroom supplies without reimbursement during the 2019-20 school year.
Founder Frank Luersen, whose family has lived in the desert for five generations, said:
“I grew up here, and I raised my kids here. I grew up with a lot of these teachers, and some of their parents taught me. Teachers shouldn't have to reach into their own pockets for classroom supplies. We intend to keep growing Clear the List every year, and we'd like more people to join us,” said Frank Luersen, Founder and Owner, Home Team Electric.
Shannon Anderson, a Palm Desert High School graduate and lifelong desert resident who leads Team and Client Relations at Home Team Electric and served on the campaign’s organizing team, said:
“Being part of the Clear the List organizing team gave me an invaluable glimpse into everything educators do behind the scenes. Teachers pour their hearts into our children,” said Shannon Anderson, Team and Client Relations, Home Team Electric.
Winning teachers picked up their supplies at a private celebration in Thousand Palms on Saturday, August 15, which included a raffle for additional classroom supplies. Teachers across the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin can watch for next summer’s signup window. Clear the List is one of three community programs Home Team Electric runs, alongside a food drive and charity outreach.
Media Availability: The celebration was a private event for the winning teachers. Interviews with Shannon Anderson and the Home Team Electric team, photography from the celebration, and high-resolution assets are available on request through the press contact below.
About Home Team Electric
Home Team Electric is a family-owned and operated residential electrical contractor headquartered in Thousand Palms, California, serving homeowners across the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin, from Palm Springs to Twentynine Palms, since 2006. Founded by Frank Luersen, the company operates under California C-10 Electrical Contractor License #879507, active and verifiable through the California State License Board, and has served more than 16,000 desert homeowners. Visit hometeamelectric.com.
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For more information about Home Team Electric, contact the company here:
Home Team Electric
Destiny King
(760) 248-8709
destiny@hometeamelectric.com
72091 Woburn Court, Suite A, Thousand Palms, CA 92276