A local candidate is offering to donate his entire salary for classroom supplies if voters elect him this fall.

Iraq war veteran and Madison County Commission candidate David Smith says he will make good on the pledge should he win the District Two seat.

Smith told WHNT News 19 that he will put all of the commissioner's $70,000 salary into a private fund that would help teachers who struggle to pay for classroom supplies. Most teachers in Alabama have to pay out of pocket for supplies, a practice the 26 year-old political newcomer calls unacceptable.

"I want to put my money where my mouth is," said Smith, who has never run for or held elected office before. "I won't take a salary my first year. I want to take that money and start a fund that will help classrooms that don't have the funds necessary for whatever school supplies they need."

Smith said the yet-to-be named fund would cover all classrooms in District Two, which includes Bob Jones and Columbia High Schools, along with several middle and elementary schools. He also promises to give a public accounting for the money, and said he would try to attract other investors in addition to his own salary.

"I've managed my money very well over the last few years, and thankfully I'm in a position where I can do something like this," said Smith. "A teacher would submit a request saying they're lacking whatever supplies in the classroom they need, and as long as it's a legitimate request, they'll get what they need."