I’ve also seen US teachers spending hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets to stock classrooms.
I spent a lot of time in European schools and I’ve never heard of teachers having to stock their own classrooms or fundraise for things like playgrounds, etc.
Taking the opportunity to tell about https://www.donorschoose.org/
Local teachers asking for help buying supplies for classrooms. With prices and item lists so you know where it’s going.
Also it’s a great way to check out disparities in education. The low income school is asking for erasers and pencils and carpets for kids to sit on, and the rich school is asking to buy iPads to replace the old iPads.