It is a hashtag on social media which has been trending at various times over the summer - #ClearTheList. 

The hashtag is most commonly used by teachers, who are looking for help, and to provide help to other educators, in clearing off the list of classroom supplies they need for the upcoming school year.

“I think the Clear The List initiative has very, very honourable and very, very positive intentions,” said Karen Kennedy-Allin, the president of the Southeast Cornerstone Teachers Association. “What it's doing is kind of letting governments off the hook.”

Many point to funding as being a key reason why teachers are purchasing items for their classrooms. NDP leader Ryan Meili took to social media this week to point out the problem with teachers having to pay out of pocket for what they need.

Numbers collected by the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation show it is something happening across the province. Their data shows 42 percent of teachers in the province spend up to $250 for their classroom. Another 25 percent spend between $250 and $500 and a further 7.6 percent spend over $1000 on their classrooms.

Kennedy-Allin pointed out many of the classrooms in the province need essentials for the teachers to be able to do their jobs, and the blame doesn’t fall on the school boards, which are doing the best they can with what they receive from the province.

“That requires funding, and if parents and if teachers are subsidizing it, then are we really asking governments to do the best that they can?” Kennedy-Allin asked.

A look at lists from teachers just in Saskatchewan include items such as easels, whiteboard markers, pencils, and organizing tools. 

“Things like an easel with a pad of paper is becoming an extravagance,” Kennedy-Allin lamented. “That’s something that would be considered an essential has become a maybe.”