Riverdale Teachers Turn to Crowdfunding for Classroom Supplies

As the new school year approaches, teachers across the country face a familiar challenge: covering the cost of classroom supplies, often out of their own pockets.

At least 36 schools, and 265 educators across greater Riverdale have turned to DonorsChoose, a nonprofit crowdfunding site, to raise money for school supplies.

Needs range from basic materials — notebooks, folders and pencil cases — to healthy snacks, sensory seat cushions and an online Spanish course so a teacher can better connect with her Spanish-speaking students and their families. Requests can range from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,400.

An east Bronx educator, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, told The Press she resorted to fundraising to better support her special-needs students.

“I have children who have sensory needs and children who have ADHD,” she said. “They require fidgets, specialized seating devices, things of that nature. It’s hard to come by. They’re expensive.”

She added, “It kind of falls on us as therapists and teachers to get what we need for the classrooms.”

The city’s Department of Education (DOE) budget rose $674 million from the year prior, reaching $14.3 billion for Fiscal Year 2026.

Despite this increase, the issue persists.

In a statement to The Press, the department said it was proud to provide schools with the resources needed, as well as free school meals, cleaning teams and school nurses.

“We commend our educators who choose to go above and beyond, raising extra funds for their classrooms,” a spokesperson said.

Each of the 36 local schools has a small blue pop-up that reads: “Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms,” an issue DonorsChoose highlights.

Nationally, a funding gap remains stark. Between primarily white and nonwhite districts, there is a $2,266 difference per student, with nonwhite districts on the lower end. Similarly, the gap between high- and-low-poverty districts averages $800 per student.

In greater Riverdale, schools with the highest number of teachers on DonorsChoose — 10 or more — had an average student body that was 83 percent Black and Latino.

These figures echo broader disparities in New York schools. The city’s eight specialized public high schools made headlines in July when the DOE announced only 10 percent of accepted students were Black or Latino.

Some government-funded resources exist for teachers in low-income districts, but it’s rarely enough.

The United Federation of Teachers, the labor union representing city educators, runs a program called Teachers Choice, supported by the City Council.

The initiative gives teachers, social workers, school nurses and others an annual allotment for supplies. For the 2024–25 school year, the amount was capped at $235 for teachers and $105 for social workers. The 2025–26 amounts have not yet been released.

Families are also facing higher prices for back-to-school basics. The Century Foundation reported in August that, due to tariff policies under the Trump administration, the typical cost of supplies has risen 7.3 percent this year.

Still, platforms like DonorsChoose and AdoptAClassroom — combined with neighborhood support — are helping fill the gaps.

The 4BronxProject, a community service program, recently announced it had received enough donations to send 300 Bronx children to school with the supplies they need. Others, like the Riverdale Y organize annual supply drives.

For many students, the first day of school is shaped as much by community resources as by city budgets.