In School, The Silent Suppliers of Last Resort

In the end, spending your own money is inevitable, she said.

"When you see the kinds of things teachers bring into their classrooms, you know it's not supplied by the county, and you really become aware of what teachers spend," said Barbara Wong, past president of the Lowes Island Elementary School parent-teacher organization in Sterling.

The PTO gives each teacher a $125 stipend at the end of the school year to replenish supplies, a practice that is unusual among parent-teacher groups in the county.

Carolyn Mitchell, a second-grade teacher at John W. Tolbert Elementary School in Leesburg, estimates that she has spent as much as several thousand dollars in a school year for her classroom.

Some of it is for rock-bottom needs such as plastic storage containers or bookcases, she said. Other purchases might be considered perks. This year, she bought new classroom board games to replace the old, worn ones she had used for many of her 29 years as a teacher. She also likes to buy a butterfly kit for each student, rather than keep one or two for the whole class.

That way, she said, each student can watch an amazing metamorphosis take place on his or her own desk.

"There is a lot of stuff that I like to have, because it really enriches the experience for the kids," Mitchell said.

She also keeps extra pencils and paper on hand for children who have forgotten them -- or cannot afford them.

"I always buy everything," she said. "I don't want any of them to feel different or singled out."