October 1, 2026, Chestnut Hill Local, Educators use online charity to help fund classrooms
DonorsChoose surveyed public school teachers during the 2025-2026 academic year, and found that of the 2,500 public school teachers that used the website, 60% believed that they didn’t have the resources necessary to prepare students for their future careers.
According to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, Pennsylvania has historically been a state of underfunding and resource redlining when it comes to major-minority school districts.
“We don’t have air conditioning,” said Elise Figarotta, an autistic support teacher for grades 6 to 8 at Houston. “I got an industrial fan for my room. I was able to get cartridges for my printer. I was able to get a lot of cleaning supplies.”
Alice Goodman, a school-based teaching lead at Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences in Chestnut Hill, says the district doesn’t understand that supplies that are lost or damaged must be replaced by the teachers.
