It is common for teachers nationwide to dip into their bank accounts to buy necessary school supplies at the beginning of each school year.
But how common is it? Try over 90% of all teachers, according to a survey from the National Center for Education Statistics. And the average teacher spends between $500 to $750 of their own money every year, according to a August 2023 report from the National Education Association.
To ease their financial burdens, many teachers, including those in Brooklyn, use crowdsourcing platforms such as GoFundMe to raise money for their supplies. These teachers can be from public, charter and private schools, showing the financial pressure is not limited to one kind of school.
Joshua Reed, who started his first teaching job at Achievement First Aspire Middle School in East New York this year, said he created his GoFundMe fundraiser in mid-June and has almost reached his goal of raising $2,500.
"My budget was really, really small," Reed says, explaining his school gives the faculty some money. "Me and the other homeroom teacher, we actually got $70 to split between us."
Reed also said the money will go beyond buying classroom supplies.
"I've got stuff like floss, toothbrushes, chapstick, pencils, and stuff they may not have and may need," Reed said. "Kids spend eight hours a day, five days a week; that's 40 hours a week. I wanted to make sure if they didn't have it at home, they can get it from me if they need it."
Although GoFundMe is a popular way for teachers to raise funds, there are other ways school communities are purchasing supplies, particularly for public schools. In some schools, principals and Parent Teacher Associations do what they can to buy what is needed.
Martina Meijer, a teacher in a Ditmas Park school, said some principals purchase materials for all classrooms at the end of the previous school year so they can use up any remaining budget. Some PTAs get supplies for each classroom.
That said, it may not be enough.
"Many schools give some supplies," Meijer said. "But not everything that is needed, and inevitably teachers end up spending money on supplies out of their own pocket. We are often left to fill in the gaps in policy implementation."
As public schools in the city start today, Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday touched on why everyone needs to help.
"The reality is everyone needs to chip in," the mayor said during his weekly press conference. "We have organized, participated with backpack giveaways throughout the entire year. That goes a long way when you give a child a backpack and have some of the basic supplies that the family members won't have to go in and purchase."
Many elected officials, community and religious organizations, also conduct back-to-school supply giveaways from mid-August.
But teachers, whose pay nationally has not kept up with inflation, according to the NEA, are still trying to fill the gap themselves.
"More than any other field, perhaps, teachers are expected to give their time and money to plug budget gaps, and it shouldn't be that way," Meijer said. "Students and teachers should be given what they need to succeed."
