"It's frustrating, especially because I have my own kid and my own family to support," said Franshesca Chaterpaul, an upper elementary teacher at Bed Stuy's Brighter Choice Community School. "If I don't do donations, I don't know where I'm going to get things from... we know that they deserve just as much as anybody else."
Chaterpaul used the latter organization a number of times throughout her decade-long teaching career... community aid to bridge the gap between what teachers cannot afford and what the city Department of Education leaves behind.
For the start of the 2024-25 academic year, Chaterpaul has already skimmed around $100 off her paycheck to stock her classroom with supplies, decorations and learning tools. The United Federation of Teachers has a reimbursement fund that runs up to $235 - but the total only covers a fraction of what Chaterpaul expects to spend throughout the next nine months.
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