Year after year, teachers in New York have had to fill in the gap left by their schools’ thin budgets for expenses as essential as classroom supplies.

During the 2019–2020 school year, New York teachers spent an average of $463 on school supplies, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Ninety-five percent of them purchased supplies with their own money. Some turned to crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and Donors Choose to cover the cost of basic items like crayons, pencils, and snacks for their students.

Jason Dole speaks with  Bianca Fortis from New York Focus