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Teachers use crowdfunding for classroom supplies

COLUMBIA, Mo. — When Alexander Tai taught math in Georgia public schools, he had to pay for his own copy paper.

The school district provided a copier for its teachers, but Tai and his colleagues were left to scramble for coupons if they wanted to print worksheets or study guides for their students.

After relocating from his native Atlanta to Columbia, Tai swapped multiplication tables for books and is now an English language educator at Fairview Elementary School. Tai serves third-, fourth- and fifth-graders for whom English is a second language.

As a teacher in Columbia Public Schools, Tai no longer has to rely on Office Depot sales for his copy paper. He does, however, frequently pay out of pocket for basic school supplies like scissors and construction paper. Tai said he has spent about $450 of his own money so far this school year, and he estimates his total will hover around $700 by the time summer break rolls around.

Similarly, Derby Ridge third-grade teacher Amy Jones frequently purchases her own school supplies. Between pens, staplers, tape, folders and books for her students, she spends about $200 out of pocket each school year, the Columbia Missourian reported.

The problem of classroom funding is widespread. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, 94 percent of public school teachers surveyed in 2014 said they have spent money out of their own pockets on school supplies without reimbursement. The average amount of money teachers spent that school year was $479. This trend is reflected in the Columbia Public School District, though the figures vary slightly, according to a more recent survey of teachers.

Kathy Steinhoff, president of the Columbia Missouri National Education Association and a ninth- and 10th-grade math teacher at Hickman High School, said 82 percent of district teachers who responded to the survey reported spending their own money on classroom staples like pencils and Kleenex in the 2017-18 school year.

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