How Much Do Teachers Spend On Classroom Supplies?
It's inevitable. Each year, teachers dip into their own pockets to buy things like notebooks, tissues and pencils for their students.
This inevitability is even enshrined in the tax code, which gives educators a $250 deduction for their trouble. Late last week, in hammering out their big tax overhaul, Republicans decided to preserve that deduction. So we thought we would ask teachers how much of their own money they spend each year.
The answer: more than $250.
Erin Craddock, a fourth-grade teacher in Virginia, says she spends more than $300 a year on things like chapter books, bookshelves, folders, organization trays, pocket charts, construction paper and hand sanitizer.
Many teachers told us they spend as much as a $1,000 a year, including Heather Lyke.
It's inevitable. Each year, teachers dip into their own pockets to buy things like notebooks, tissues and pencils for their students.
This inevitability is even enshrined in the tax code, which gives educators a $250 deduction for their trouble. Late last week, in hammering out their big tax overhaul, Republicans decided to preserve that deduction. So we thought we would ask teachers how much of their own money they spend each year.
The answer: more than $250.
Erin Craddock, a fourth-grade teacher in Virginia, says she spends more than $300 a year on things like chapter books, bookshelves, folders, organization trays, pocket charts, construction paper and hand sanitizer.
Many teachers told us they spend as much as a $1,000 a year, including Heather Lyke.