A garbage bag of shredded paper, a bag of sand and dozens of 5-foot-tall bags of balls from a former IKEA ball pit.

Those are some of the donations that teachers have picked up from the Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools’ free supply store, called “Exchangeree,” as they outfit their classrooms for the new school year.

Every August as school starts back up, families receive a list of supplies — glue, facial tissues, pencils — that students and their families must purchase. But school spending presents a challenge for some, and in many cases, that means teachers reach into their own pockets.

Teachers pack their social media accounts with #ClearTheList requests and and Amazon wish lists.

“Every single teacher pays for school supplies,” said Heather Wooldridge, associate director of the county’s Education Foundation who has worked in the system for 25 years.

Last week, the Baltimore Teachers Union of Baltimore City Schools staff began polling their membership about out-of-pocket spending on supplies, and so far 174 respondents reported spending a collective $65,000 — an average of almost $375 per person. Zach Taylor, director of Negotiations for the Baltimore Teachers Union and a city schools teacher on reserve, said that the union is advocating for a materials stipend in their contract renewal this year.

At the school level, each principal decides how to spend their per-pupil budget, including for materials, as allocated by each district.

But finances are tight for many districts, including in Baltimore County and the city, following the end of federal pandemic relief funds that supplemented the rising costs of learning.

To lessen the burden on teachers, both Baltimore County and the city have community groups, local businesses and schools that organize supply donation drives and fundraisers.

Gboyinde Onijala, a spokeswoman for Baltimore County schools, said “there is absolutely no requirement or need for teachers to buy anything for students in their classroom,” but teachers often go above and beyond to make sure their students have what they need.

“We know that without teachers filling the gap, students would not be learning what they could learn,” Taylor said.

Without teacher contributions, kids in pre-K might not get diapers or baby wipes. Classrooms wouldn’t be as clean without the hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes teachers purchase. Rooms would look grim without posters, decorations, and students wouldn’t have pencils, Taylor said, recalling everything he has purchased each year for his middle school students as a city teacher.

“Would I rather have a power struggle every day with a child who lost their pencil?” asked Victoria Lehr, a veteran teacher at the public charter Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. She has already spent over $350 this year.

“Or do I want them to learn? I would rather a kid have what they need to be successful,” she said.

Principals encourage their staff to ask the school to cover their supply needs. But many teachers realize funding is tight and hesitate to ask for funds that could be better used elsewhere.

Paper is one of the biggest unavoidable expenses at Cockeysville Middle School, said Principal Adam Carney. With prices rising on many supplies this year, if each pack is up 5 cents, then Carney must budget more for purchasing paper.

Under the Maryland Blueprint for Education, schools with higher concentrations of poverty — designated as community schools — receive extra funding aimed at serving the greater needs of students and their families.

Hebbville Elementary, as a designated community school in Baltimore county, receives nearly double the budget of non-community schools, said Principal Jordan Filderman. The money gives him more leeway to spend on his teachers’ supply needs.

Lehr at Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women spent hours preparing her classroom. She said school system leaders, whether they realize it or not, can take advantage of the passion teachers have for their job.

“The system is built in a way that they know, because of our care for students, that we will do what is best for them,” she said. “They are banking on the fact that we will tie up loose ends they do not tie up.”