Why some school districts are banning teachers from crowdfunding to pay for classroom supplies via yahoolifestyle
As public education grapples with debilitating budget cuts nationwide, teachers have begun to take advantage of a virtually free, unfettered resource for the classroom expenses they can’t afford: crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and DonorsChoose. But in a move that has confused and angered many educators, some school districts are creating barriers to participate in crowdfunding — or banning the practice altogether.
In an email obtained by Yahoo Lifestyle, a member of the finance department from the Defiance City Schools district in Ohio outlines a long, rigorous application for teachers who are interested in crowdfunding to acquire supplies. Among the 10 required steps are sending a detailed budget, a full supply list and an explanation of how the individual supplies will be used.
In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, Defiance City Schools Superintendent Robert Morton disputed Maynard’s claim that she was blocked from crowdfunding. “I don’t know who would do that,” says Morton. “My suggestion to the administrators was that you have people who have engaged in this without doing the paperwork. Use the crowdfunding pages and do it properly so the school district doesn’t have an audit case. ... We just have to make sure we’re doing that in accordance with the law.
The pushback comes at a difficult time for teachers in America, the majority of whom can’t make ends meet with their teaching salary alone — much less afford to fund their classrooms. But according to a July survey from Fishbowl, 96 percent of teachers say they are paying for their own school supplies — spending, on average, $479 each year .
Charles Best, the founder of DonorsChoose, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that he believes crowdfunding platforms actually help combat inequality in education by providing equal opportunity for funding.
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