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Readers' Survey 2007: Amount You Spend Out of Pocket Each Year on Classroom Supplies
Edutopia readers weigh in on their favorites.
by Edutopia Staff
Credit: Getty Images
$500 or More
We can see those checking accounts shrinking before our very eyes! Nearly half of you told us you spend $500 or more. Shockingly, more than one in three of those heavy spenders shells out more than $1,000 a year, up to a high of $3,500. Oh, my. Responses ranged from the magnanimous ("I don't care what I spend -- the results are worth it") to the miserly ("$0 -- I refuse to pay for what I can put in the budget"). But the consistent message in response after response was simply "Way too much!"
Our Take
Payback
If you're tapping your own funds for the sake of your students, David Holmstrom, a licensed tax preparer in Brookline, Massachusetts, has advice on how to get some of that investment back from Uncle Sam. It's tough to deduct it the usual way, by itemizing purchases on Schedule A, because classroom expenses rarely outweigh the standard deduction anyone can take. "Congress therefore decided to give educators a special break not available to other employees," Holmstrom says. "They can take up to $250 as an adjustment -- that is, they can subtract it from their income -- whether or not they itemize deductions."
If you're in the 25 percent tax bracket, he says, this adjustment is worth fifty dollars to you -- not enough, surely, but something. The allowance covers out-of-pocket costs for classroom supplies and is available only to teachers, counselors, principals, and aides in private and public K-12 schools who worked at least 900 hours during the year.
Here's the catch: Congress approved the educator adjustment for this year after the tax forms were printed. So, Holmstrom explains, teachers must put the $250 on line 23 of Form 1040 (the line that says "Archer MSA deduction") and write an E on the line to indicate it's an educator expense. He adds, "Isn't the IRS great?"
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Another great website...
Submitted by Jerry Williamson (not verified) on April 30, 2008 - 19:05.
Check out iLoveSchools.com too. They help get donations of new and used classroom materials. They help get donations of new and used classroom materials.
Finding grants for classroom supplies
Submitted by Diane Demee-Benoit on April 6, 2008 - 17:28.
Sources for classroom materials and finding grants--visit these Web sites:
DonorsChoose.org
Grant Wrangler Grants for Teachers
Finding grants for classroom supplies
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 6, 2008 - 22:51.
Thank you so much for your prompt response. I appreciate the resource sites. I particularly took interest in the DonorsChoose.org. Again, thanks! Hopefully, I will see a little help from these. Send something else if you come across any other ideas. I am open to them and do not mind doing the work! :)
Looking for money for supplies
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 5, 2008 - 21:58.
I recently got turned on to this page as I started searching for any grant money available out there for help in my room. I just moved this year to a middle school room where I am starting from scratch AGAIN. I am in my 15th year of teaching and have "started over" several times in different grades, moving here or there. Much of my own money has went into building my classrooms over the years as well as maintaining them, rewarding classes, and supplying classes with tradebooks, cleaning supplies etc. If one wants to be a competitive teacher with the society of today then she/he has to stay on top of the research! It is hard without this money. In the middle school, I am lacking any extra help. I would like a few things that I just cannot afford for next year and would like to know how to get a small grant. Does anyone out there know of one? I am looking to get a real dry erase markerboard with a graphing portion on it or a laptop with a writer, an LCD projector. This would help with graphing coordinate planes, etc. I teach 7th math. I would like to create some PowerPoints for math, but lack a way to present them. HMMMMM.....? Ideas? The one tv I have is extremely old, cable hook up is Channel one only, one old computer and one new one. The boards I have are Showerboards, not real dry erase markerboards. As you can probably deduce, the money I am spending is going into the regular maintenance right now of supplies, etc. Ideas?
Out-of-pocket Expenses
Submitted by Jaime Lamb (not verified) on March 30, 2008 - 10:00.
This is my first year teaching and I can honestly say that I had absolutely no idea how much money teachers spend on their students until I became one. I am a newlywed and we are still getting accustomed to paying all of the new bills that come along with our first house, however, I still spend over $100 a month on my third grade students... not to mention close to $800 at the beginning of the year when i walked into my empty classroom. We get $100 dollars in the beginning of the year and $45 near the end from a fund raiser and that is all. It does make me a little depressed to think about how much of my hard earned money is not spent on my family and our needs, but i have learned that out of pocket spending comes with the job and it does make me feel good when i spend money on things that i know benefits my students. I am hoping that as the years pass, i will begin to spend less and less each year as i accumulate materials.
Out of pocket spending on supplies
Submitted by Lisa McPherson (not verified) on March 27, 2008 - 18:54.
I am a third grade teacher in a very large county system. As a single parent of two children I really cannot afford to spend as much money in my classroom as I did when I was married, and before having my own children. Many of my students come to school without supplies, or a very limited amount. I am afraid to really add up what I spend each month or per year on my classroom. Usually I spend my money to make my job easier. After reading some of the comments, I feel very selfish saying that, but it is the truth. I don't mind spending my money on books because I look at that as building a professional library. This year we were given $100 to spend and that was Title I funds. The governor of my state, for the past two years, has given each full-time educator $100 at the beginning of the school year. I know it helps, but not nearly enough.
Out of pocket spending on supplies
Submitted by Terry Mewes (not verified) on March 26, 2008 - 21:27.
My first five years as a primary teacher, I spent far too much of my personal income on school supplies. I wasn't aware of how much I was spending, until I changed classrooms and had to move all my stuff. I felt that I needed supplemental material to teach my students every day. I was thrilled when our district finally adopted new Language Arts text books. It was a relief to have a foundation to work from when I was planning lessons. Now that I have been teaching for fifteen years, I am more resourceful. I plan what I am going to spend and stay on a budget.
Dollar Days
Submitted by Priscilla Jenkins (not verified) on March 26, 2008 - 15:17.
I do not have my own class yet but I have had to buy supplies in order to do assignments during my internship. The Dollar Tree was a life saver. I know the eventually even dollars add up but this store has just about everything a teacher could want. Get this; the section is even called “The Teachers Corner”. They have really reward stickers, gifts and other supplies. I love this store. I actually stop by occasionally to buy things and put it up so I can have it when I get my own class. If there is a Dollar Tree in your area stop buy and check it out.
Saving money on classroom supplies
Submitted by Rachael (not verified) on March 27, 2008 - 16:38.
I agree! I love the Dollar Tree. I go there too to buy classroom supplies, such as reward stickers, ink pens, notebooks, etc. I also like it too because I can buy cheap treats for my students, as well as "cool" trinkets they love to obtain from my prize box.
Out of pocket spending on supplies
Submitted by Harry (not verified) on March 26, 2008 - 14:53.
WOW...I am sitting here reading posts from different people and at the same time I am picking my jaw up from the floor. I am not sure if I am naive to all of this or just lucky. I had NO IDEA that many teachers across the country suffer monetarily like this. As a matter of fact, it sickens me to even read this. How can school districts expect to give kids quality educations on measly budgets for all of you? I am blown away that this seems like the norm rather than the exception. I am a general music teacher and although I won't say how much I get per year in my budget, I will say that it is WAY more than many of the posts I read. Granted, I do spend some of my own money on things I need simply because I don't want to wait months for the paper trail to make its way through the district until I finally get my things. But in all sincerity, my heart goes out to all of you.
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