As back-to-school costs rise, educators rely upon donations to bolster classroom supplies

The brightly colored posters, comfortable seats and hands-on science experiments present in Kaylyn Wojnarowski’s Gateway classroom might not exist if the first grade teacher relied solely on the district’s budget for supplies.

Wojnarowski welcomed students back to her classroom at Cleveland Steward Jr. Elementary on Thursday — the start of her third year teaching in the district, where the budget covers basic supplies such as pencils, crayons and paper.

But in Wojnarowski’s experience, an aesthetically inviting classroom and additional resources go a long way in supporting students’ learning.

“You look around my classroom, and you see the bright colors and the things that make a classroom warm and welcoming,” she said. “That’s a big priority of mine: to make sure the students coming into my classroom feel that they are welcomed, that they’re loved, that they’re safe.”

The former Hempfield Area teacher has made a tradition of buying a Squishmallow plush toy for each student in her class — a keepsake they can take home with them at the end of the school year.

Purchases such as these would not be possible without grant funding, local business donations, parent support and money out of Wojnarowski’s pocket, she said.

“In the past so many years building up my classroom,” she said, “I’ve spent a lot of money of my own. These grants and projects that I’m able to apply for and things like that have helped significantly.

“Without it, it would be a more bare classroom — not as many manipulatives, not as visually appealing.”

‘Just trying to do my part’

Three years ago, Shaler Area first grade teacher Darla Hursh started an initiative to ensure every student in the K-3 Marzolf Primary School building had something to eat during snack time.

The Snack Stop project wouldn’t be possible without community donations, she said.

Students who aren’t able to bring a snack for themselves can pick out five snacks — one for each day of the school week — from the Snack Stop each Monday and store them in their backpack or locker.

“When a child comes and they don’t have a snack, they might be hungry waiting to get to lunchtime,” Hursh said. “And if they’re hungry, they’re not going to be focused on learning.

“We need them at their best, and if meeting their basic needs is what we need to do to get them to their best and make sure that we’re taking care of the whole child, that’s what this initiative is aimed at taking care of.”

They can also pick from the Snack Stop’s supply of hygiene products, Hursh said — including lip balm, socks, backpacks, hairbrushes and hair ties.

No proof of need is required to participate, she said.

“I remember being the child on free and reduced lunch and how other kids noticed,” Hursh said, “so it came to me that I wanted these kids to just blend in with everyone else.”

Last year, the Snack Stop supported an average of 53 students each Monday. About 700 snacks were distributed per month and more than 6,300 were given out from September through May, Hursh said.

To support the initiative, email hurshd@shalerarea.org.

Expenses on the rise

Educators — and parents buying back-to-school supplies, clothes and shoes — are in for an added expense this year, according to Duquesne economics professor Risa Kumazawa.

Paper products, from tissues to index cards to notebooks, have increased in price, said Kumazawa, the university’s associate dean for academic systems and accreditation.

Tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump are partially to blame, Kumazawa said.

“I think some of the costs (from the tariffs) were not passed on to consumers, but as you get more and more increases in prices and more tariffs being put in place, that becomes more difficult to (avoid),” she said. “The inflation numbers came out (Aug. 15), and those are showing higher prices in general in the economy.”

It won’t be long before shoppers start to feel the impact of a 40% tariff placed on Brazilian imports July 30, she said.

“Things you might pack in your kids’ lunches, like bananas, are going up,” Kumazawa said.

She continued: “Across the board, I think more price increases are going to be showing up, simply because Brazil happens to be (one of) the countries that produces a lot of shoes.”

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It will also cost more for schools and parents to buy colored pencils from Crayola, Kumazawa said. A majority of the Lehigh Valley-based company’s colored pencils are made from wood harvested from Brazilian forests, according to the Crayola website.

“Companies can’t suddenly move manufacturing back to the United States,” she said.

The tariffs coincide with climate change and potential impacts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Climate change-induced floods and droughts can impact agriculture. Gov. Josh Shapiro estimates 150,000 Pennsylvanians could lose their SNAP benefits because of the Trump administration’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” signed into law July 4.

“As an economist, I worry when people are stretched thin,” Kumazawa said. “You’re having to make decisions about what to do with your limited budget.

“I wonder, when faced with all of these increasing prices for everything, what are people going to forgo? Is it going to be things like auto insurance? I really worry about the state of affairs facing families.”

Supporting classrooms

A $7,500 donation from Cochran Subaru along Route 22 in Monroeville given to the district Tuesday exemplifies the community support educators such as Tina Hermann rely on each year.

Hermann is a learning support teacher for special education students in all three of Steward Elementary’s third grade classes. She has worked as an educator for 25 years.

Adopt a Classroom, an initiative that connects business donations to local school districts, facilitated the gift from the auto dealer. Hermann also has relied on the platform DonorsChoose, where educators can post about their classroom needs and receive support from parents, businesses and other local donors.

Steward Elementary also benefits from the Education Partnership, a school support nonprofit located in Pittsburgh’s Elliott neighborhood. The school’s teachers can shop the Education Partnership’s supplies twice a year for items they need — from student supplies to used chairs and filing cabinets.

“Places like Adopt a Classroom, DonorsChoose — they help us,” Hermann said. “They give us money. They give us supplies so we don’t have to spend as much out of our own pockets. And we take those dollars and we make them go as far as we can spread it.”

Hermann said she always buys extra pencils and crayons to tide students over through the end of the school year. In the past, she has written off $500 in taxes each year for teaching supplies.

“We’re not always sure that that’s going to be there,” she said. “I’m not even sure that it was there last year. It takes a chunk out of my home, my children.

“Anything that we can get help with, we put it back to our kids.”