There are currently more than 76,000 projects seeking funding on DonorsChoose.org — more than double the count normally during this back-to-school season.

“That’s exceptionally high for us,” Amy Soler, the director of business relations for the education-focused crowdfunding site, said in an interview.

While teachers, school librarians, coaches and other educators working directly with students often spend their own money on supplies, special projects and other items for their students — a fact that became a major sticking point during negotiations over the federal tax bill last year — it’s clear that educators are also making increasing use of online fundraising sites to supplement their instruction and meet the needs of their students.

Crowdfunding takes away some of the inequities that exist when schools in more affluent areas are able to raise funds from parent organizations or community members to supplement the classroom, cover extracurricular activities, or provide additional enrichment. Advocates say it also increases transparency so donors know exactly how their money is being used.

Meanwhile this week, DonorsChoose announced that the technology policies and practices of 13 school districts — including those in Atlanta, Boston, Seattle and Portland, Ore. — are now available on the site, allowing teachers to align their technology requests with their system's priorities and requirements.

Amani Abuhabsah-Ghusein, a science teacher at Dawes Elementary School in Chicago, said she graduated college with plans to offer students a lot of hands-on learning experiences. “I was shocked about the lack of resources I had in my classroom,” she said in an email, adding that she began purchasing a lot of basic supplies for science labs.

She wrote her first DonorsChoose proposal for a unit on the human body, asking for scale models of body parts. ”I was hooked ever since and have been submitting proposals to supplement my classroom,” she said, adding that she likes Amazon Business because she can use the same vendor for special items as well as basic school supplies, such as glue, markers and scissors.

Projects of hers that were recently funded include fitness trackers to increase students’ physical activity, a Meccano Meccanoid robot to teach engineering skills, and iron-on vinyl to make t-shirt designs.

ClassWish, another school-focused crowdfunding site, is also seeing an uptick in requests as teachers plan for fall, but at this point, the reporting system doesn't allow for comparisons to past years, co-founder Robert Tolmach said in an email. 

"Teachers do not just need money for projects; they need money for all sorts of supplies and equipment," he said. "We hear from teachers who need expensive items, such as musical instruments, sports equipment, computers and science equipment. We also hear from teachers who need simple things, such as paper and crayons."

Crowdfunding policies urged

The increasing use of crowdfunding, however, also comes at a time when district leaders and policymakers are taking a closer look at the virtual fundraising sites. In Ohio, for example, state Auditor Dave Yost issued a report this month urging school districts to create crowdfunding policies that address issues such as protecting student privacy, properly handling donations and ensuring that pitches for funding don’t reflect badly on a school.

“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,” Yost wrote in the report.

His office conducted a survey showing that out of the 123 districts that responded, less than half allowed teachers to use crowdfunding. But in a press release, he said he only expects “increasing requests for donations to education-related issues.”

Sara Clark, the chief legal counsel for the Ohio School Board’s Association (OSBA), said in an email that local school boards are discussing the report and that OSBA would be providing additional guidance in August.

Some officials still wary of the practice

Even if crowdfunding spreads outside resources to more schools, the superintendent of the Manchester Public Schools in Connecticut suggested last fall that donations to one classroom might seem unfair to other classrooms within the same building.

Experts recommend that if district leaders are going to prohibit teachers from using crowdfunding sites, they should have a policy stating so.

Last year, Barbara Canavan, the former superintendent of Harford County Public Schools in Maryland, said at a school board meeting that the district would not allow teachers to use crowdfunding sites, noting concerns over accountability for the funds. She said organizations such as the local education fund already provide what students need.

In Philadelphia, the local education fund, however, is actually sponsoring its own crowdfunding site, Philly FUNDamentals, where principals describe the project they hope donors will support.

For teachers who have not turned to crowdfunding — or are not allowed to — another major retailer is trying to help. Target offered a 15% discount on school supplies last week. With teachers spending an average of $530 of their own money on classroom materials — more in lower-income schools, according to Scholastic — those savings can add up.