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Public school teachers are spending their own money on school supplies

They’re taking personal responsibility for everything from books to furniture, clothing to eyeglasses.

Many teachers purchase books, activities and other supplies for their classrooms.
Many teachers purchase books, activities and other supplies for their classrooms.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Public school students in Chicago will not be going to class tomorrow. The nation’s third-largest school district canceled classes ahead of a teacher’s strike over what teachers say is a lack of resources.

Stephie Grob Plante reported for Vox about the ways in which teachers across the country are making up for the shortage of resources in schools … by bringing in their own. They’re taking personal responsibility for everything from books to furniture, clothing to eyeglasses.

“When a teacher walks into their classroom, by and large, what they can expect are the desks and the chairs, sometimes pencils and sometimes paper,” Grob Plante told “Marketplace” host Molly Wood.

“It does vary district to district, school to school, but teachers are bringing in a lot of supplies on their own.”

Correction (Oct. 17, 2019): A previous version of this story misspelled Stephie Grob Plante. The text has been corrected.

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