An Oklahoma teacher’s story went viral after she panhandled on the side of the road, asking for money for school supplies. Teresa Danks says she spends thousands of dollars of her own money on supplies.
She has since started a social media campaign called ‘Begging for Education’ and GoFundMe that has raised well over 20,000 dollars.
Lubbock teachers reach into their wallets to ready their classrooms for the year, as well.
“I usually probably spend…oh…three to 500 dollars extra,” fifth grade teacher
Sally Doherty said. “Then I spend more when kids come to school and need things that we don’t have.”
Lubbock-Cooper ISD principles have a budget to distribute for supplies, but other districts may not.
“Lubbock-Cooper is very generous towards us. I have been in other districts where we didn’t get anything or very little,” Doherty said. “Well my first teaching job, I walked in and I was supposed to teach 5th grade social studies. New, fresh out of college. They had no textbooks…In another district I taught in, they handed me a legal pad, a red pen, a blue pen and a black pen and said, ‘There ya go!'”
A Pre-K teacher in her second year, Hannah Sanches said she couldn’t have done it without funding from the district.
“Coming right out of college, you don’t have a lot of money,” Sanches said. “For sure, I don’t think I would have had half the things that I needed if I hadn’t had support from the district and the generous budget that they gave us.”
Lubbock-Cooper Deputy Superintendent Dr. Macy Satterwhite said it’s common.
“Just about every teacher I have ever met does something out of their own pockets for the needs of their students,” Dr. Satterwhite said.
Students have to bring things to class too, sometimes around $35-40 or more. Grants and supply drives help with the cost, but Lubbock-Cooper ISD said technology in the classroom is also driving that price down.
“Not only the iPads, but all of the apps that go along with it that our school district provides, so parents may see a decrease in some of their spending they would normally do for paper and pencil,” Satterwhite said.
Satterwhite said the initial cost is obviously more than a ream of paper, but long term it’s worth it. She said her teachers constantly going above and beyond.
Sally Doherty said it’s hard not to.
“As a teacher you get into this business because you love kids, and you do what you have to do to make them successful.”