Science teacher Heather Overkamp has her eye on biotechnology kits that will help her teach medical health lessons this coming school year.
The field changes fast, she said, and her independent research students need to keep up with the newest technologies.
But the price tag — $500 — is one her district likely won’t pay. So she’s crowdsourcing.
The website she’s using, Donors Choose, is one of several that teachers are increasingly using to fill the gap between classroom supplies they want and how much their schools can afford. As teachers prepare for the school year to begin, the scene is heating up.
In Hampton Roads, nearly 6,000 projects have been funded for a total of more than $2.9 million since 2007, according to Donors Choose. Norfolk teachers have had the most projects funded in the area, about 1,700, the company said.
Teachers propose a project, spell out the cost and then post it, and the website helps them craft a compelling message. Sometimes the donations are matched or doubled by large corporations. Some teachers also use GoFundMe and Amazon, which lets teachers create wish lists. All are easier than constantly applying for grants, which may take a significant amount of time and documentation.
“It gives you that freedom to pick whatever it is you need and you’re not constrained by budget line items,” said Overkamp, who teaches science and engineering at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth. In the past she’s successfully crowdfunded 3D printers, 3D doodler pens and other high-tech gadgets.
At most school systems around Hampton Roads, teachers are required to get approval from their principals or supervisors before soliciting donations. But for the most part, they are supportive, several teachers said.
Hampton Roads school divisions vary on how they help teachers with school supplies. Norfolk gives $100 stipends while some others give gift cards or leave decisions up to principals. Teachers are also eligible for a $250 tax deduction for classroom expenses that have not been reimbursed.
But most still reach into their own pockets.
Ninety-four percent of public school teachers spend their own money on supplies, according to a federal Department of Education study cited by The New York Times. Teachers spend nearly $500 of their own money, according to the story.
In Virginia Beach, there’s a room at Newtown Elementary that teachers call “the Christmas room.”
It has a 65-inch interactive screen, a Lego wall, a video studio and tables that fold up to move so there’s more space for Lego robotics. Instructional technologist Kevin Rickard made it into a maker space funded by projects on Donors Choose.
He also created a science lab with donated tables, magnets, shelving units, blenders and other supplies. And he helped create two garden spaces stocked with hoses, rain barrels, compost bins, umbrellas and even bird baths.
Rickard said he wants to get moving on projects faster than the district is able to fund them. He uses social media to engage in discussions with teachers around the country, find donors and put a spotlight on projects that need attention.
He’s led training sessions for colleagues, including teacher Amanda Lewis, who has netted more activities and games for her classroom at Newtown through crowdsourcing.
“It’s nice for the extra things that make school more fun,” Lewis said. “It’s for those extra things to make it more meaningful for them.” She also said parents will stock classrooms in the beginning of the year, but as time goes on, the supplies run low.
Molly Loch, who teaches art at Providence Elementary in Virginia Beach, has had nine projects funded through Donors Choose. This year she’s after cameras, a wireless compact photo printer and printer paper, which will all cost about $700. She wants them so students can learn how to compose a picture and document their work.
Her school is “on the generous side” she said, and she has a “fantastic principal who rarely tells me no.” But she also doesn’t want to keep going back to ask for more.
Jennie Paden, who teaches first grade at Providence, said it can be eye-opening for people beyond the school community to see teachers’ needs in a list format. She’s used Donors Choose and Amazon wish lists in the past, and this year is asking for books that focus on social and emotional growth and development.
“It gives you the feeling that I’m not asking someone to donate but can give back, too,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to do something for somebody else. We all kind of benefit from it.”