Teacher Megan Picott wanted her fifth-graders at Hill View Elementary in Sylvania to begin coding at an early age to enhance their learning experience. But acquiring the classroom materials for such an undertaking is expensive.
Mrs. Picott then turned to DonorsChoose, a charity website that helps educators raise money for classroom projects, which helped her raise $500 to purchase six new “Ozobots,” a small toy robot that teaches children programming.
“So many of the jobs now are technology or STEM-related,” Mrs. Picott said, “so learning the basics is really important.”
With Ohio teachers spending an estimated $600 a year of their own money for classroom supplies, crowdfunding allows teachers to reduce their out-of-pocket expenses. But as more educators turn to crowdfunding to pay for classroom projects and school supplies, State Auditor Dave Yost is urging school districts to be aware of the associated risks.
“Crowdfunding can pose some risks, including issues of student privacy, legal liability, and harm to school reputation,” he said in his report. “We don’t want teachers or administrators landing in hot water inadvertently when they’re simply trying to improve their classrooms and the education they provide.”
Mr. Yost recommends that all crowdfunding campaigns be approved by an administrator, donations have school board approval, and donations are sent directly to schools, not teachers. He concluded his report by urging school districts to implement a crowdfunding policy.
Most northwest Ohio school districts have an established crowdfunding policy in place that requires pre-approval from the superintendent before starting a crowdfunding campaign.
Toledo Public Schools and Oregon Schools are the only local school districts without an official policy in place.
But TPS expects to institute a crowdfunding policy next month, treasurer Ryan Stechschulte said. Superintendent of Oregon Schools Hal Gregory said the district would review the auditor’s report and make a determination about implementing a specific policy in the future.
There are dozens of crowdfunding sites. One well-known site, DonorsChoose, has raised $621 million for 600,000 classroom projects. There are currently more than 900 fund-raising projects for Ohio classrooms on the website.
“Sometimes as teachers, we see something we know our students would enjoy, and we go and do what we can for our kids,” Mrs. Picott said.
Contact Javonte Anderson at janderson@theblade.com, 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @JavonteA.
First Published July 14, 2018, 9:59 p.m.
