Dive Summary:
- Teachers in Philadelphia's cash-strapped public schools are turning to crowdfunding to pay for basic supplies like notebooks, crayons, paper and pencils.
- DonorsChoose.org and Indiegogo are popular among teachers like Allison Wudarski, whose supplies budget is limited to $100 a year and unlikely to increase anytime soon as budget shortfalls continue.
- Philadelphia's school district faces a budget shortfall of $304 million and schools almost weren't able to open on time prior to receiving $50 million in emergency aid last month.
From the article:
... To offset some of those costs, Wudarski has been raising money for supplies online and has gotten funding from people she doesn't even know. Websites like DonorsChoose.org and Indiegogo allow teachers to crowd fund everything from scissors to musical instruments.
“I've gotten a ton of books and things like writing notebooks, crayons and paper, pencils,” she said. ...
