Teachers are spending more and more on school supplies. Here’s why.

Nadra Nittle

Education reporter

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Second-grade teacher Demetria Richardson spends so much on school supplies she has a designated credit card to cover classroom expenses. Just don’t tell her husband what the balance is, she said. Usually, the 26-year veteran educator in Richmond, Virginia, spends about $500 on back-to-school items. Over the past month, she has already topped that — and she’s not done shopping.

Crowdfunding on DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that lets individuals fund public school classroom projects, helps Richardson cover some of the costs on items like dry erase markers, pencils and printer ink. The school supply-stuffed backpacks that local churches distribute to families before the school year also help, Richardson said