"We are halfway through the school year, and I have already spent over $500 of my own money on my 6th grade classroom at Willard Middle School. My students' parents have also spent well over that, sending in box after box of school supplies from my wishlist, not to mention all the fundraising the PTA engages in. I consider myself scrappy I found one of the four bookcases in my classroom lying on Stuart Street on my way to work. The others came from Facebook Marketplace,"
"where I have been known to beg sellers to donate furniture: a stationary bike with a desk for kids who need to move, a classroom rug. And I'm lucky: I have a community of parents able to continually donate to my classroom's wishlist; not every teacher has a classroom with such well-resourced parents. But all this is still not enough. Almost every year, I resort to requesting money for books through a crowdfunding platform built for teachers seeking school supplies."
A 6th-grade classroom required over $500 of a teacher's personal funds by midyear, with parents contributing additional supplies and PTA fundraising. Teachers obtain furniture and materials through donations, curbside finds, and online marketplaces. An informal survey of 42 Berkeley Unified School District colleagues found about 50% spend over $500 annually out of pocket, 25% spend between $300 and $500, and one reported spending more than $2,500. Spending covers math manipulatives, sensory toys, science materials, wall charts, printer toner, online subscriptions, art paper, and classroom libraries. Many teachers rely on crowdfunding for books, and resource gaps vary by parent community wealth.
#teacher-out-of-pocket-spending #school-funding #classroom-resources #education-inequity #crowdfunding
Read at www.berkeleyside.org
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