Back in elementary school, it wasn’t unusual to be sent home with a list of needed classroom supplies for parents’ financial consideration.
Teachers often rely on families’ generosity for extra materials, or pay for them out of pocket. But in the digital age, educators have new tools at their disposal.
Santa Barbara County teachers are taking to the web — namely, the community platform Nextdoor and fundraising site DonorsChoose — to help buy everything from basic supplies to creative classroom upgrades.
It’s a trend across South County schools, including Washington Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, Hollister Elementary, Santa Barbara Community Academy, and Peabody Charter School.
Some are raising funds for weirder items, such as Roosevelt teacher Sarah Davis’s campaign for a class set of specialized cushions that let kids “wiggle and wobble” in their seat to help them focus. Davis said she is provided basic supplies by the district, and the school’s Parent Teacher Association often chips in for extras.
“The times I, and other teachers at my school, have gone beyond and applied for a grant or made other outside requests though sites like DonorsChoose have been for special or unusual items that are more expensive or hard to source,” she explained. Some of those items include seat pockets, plants, a fully stocked bookcase, and an updated classroom rug.
“We live in an expensive area, so most of us try very hard not to spend our own money if there are other places to get what we think will make our students’ experiences more enjoyable,” she said.
While some community members find it concerning that teachers would ask the public for donations — citing safety concerns for the teachers themselves or implying that the district should cover costs — these campaigns have been semi-successful, teachers reported.
Aimee Kielborn, a 5th-grade teacher at Washington Elementary, just closed out a campaign on DonorsChoose to replace her classroom paintbrushes that were “falling apart” and purchase modeling clay for students to fidget with while they’re learning. She used the nearly $300 she raised to purchase these items, alongside workbooks and study guides for math, geography, and American sign language. She listed the fundraiser on Nextdoor, following in the footsteps of other teachers she saw on the platform.
She expressed hesitancy toward asking her students’ families for the money. “That’s the last thing I want,” she said. “It’s the holidays, and they’re already spending money on things for their own family.”
Other teachers are seeking donations for stuff to make recess or math “more fun,” or for cool sensory equipment for kindergarten students, or to simply replace their classroom’s set of headphones.
Community grants, such as from the Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF), are available and greatly appreciated but competitive, teachers reported. This year, SBEF announced a record-breaking $228,000 in grants for special teacher projects. It will go directly to teachers looking to improve their students’ learning experiences and environments. But for the littler, everyday stuff, teachers will take any help they can get.
“It’s such a hard time of the year, and it is awkward asking people for money, no matter what it is,” Kielborn said. She’s raised a majority of the funds for a new science project for her students, amid multiple other teachers’ campaigns. She’s about $200 shy of the project’s goal, aiming to meet it by January 22. Community members can see Santa Barbara’s teacher profiles on DonorsChoose.org.
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