BOSTON — Every school year, Tawonia Queeley has to find a way to get her students what they need.
As kids head back to school across New England, teachers are once again having to step up to make sure their students have the school supplies they need.
Some teachers are turning to crowd funding sites to ease that burden.
“My first year of teaching, I probably spent at least a thousand dollars,” Queeley said.
The third-grade teacher at Mather Elementary School in Dorchester says she's accumulated things over her 9-year career, but every year more need exists.
“I still need new folders for my students, I still need new notebooks for my students,” she said. “No matter how efficient you become, you still are in need each year."
“Families struggle and I understand, because food comes first at the home and bills got to be paid,” Queeley said.
She does what she can and now turns to crowdfunding site called, Donors Choose.
“What I am trying to do for my students is get a whole computer cart that way we can use the computers at any time that we need and for any reason that we need,” Queeley said.
So, this year, She’s looking to complete a set of Samsung Chromebooks.
From the basics to high tech, teachers are shelling out money across the country.
According to a national survey by the U.S. Department of Education, during the 2014-15 school year, 94 percent of teachers spent their own money on classroom supplies. The average spent was $479. Seven percent reported spending more than a thousand dollars.
For Queeley, crowdfunding has helped, and she says it makes a big difference for her budget and her students success.
“It truly means a lot for these people to support what we're doing and realize these resources are for the students," she said.
We contacted Donors Choose and the company told Boston 25 News fundraisers on their site have generated $18.8 million for Massachusetts classrooms.
Currently there are more than 2,100 open requests in the state right now.