How Much Of Their Own Money Are Teachers Spending In Classrooms?

Most people aren’t expected to shell out hundreds, and even thousands, of dollars on items that are necessary for them to do their job.

Think about it: An accountant isn’t expected to supply their own computer keyboard, a creative director doesn’t purchase a printer for their team, a doctor doesn’t fund the decorations for the patient waiting rooms in a hospital.

Teachers are the exception to this rule. It’s commonly expected for educators to buy decor for their classrooms, extra supplies for students and, in some states, necessary classroom storage. In many cases, these costs come out of a teacher’s paycheck (and we all know teachers are chronically underpaid) but it depends on the state and the district just how much is covered by the school, parent-teacher association or other funders.

Teachers from across the country spoke with HuffPost about the costs they pay out of their own pockets each year just to get the school year started.

John, a middle school teacher in California entering his 19th year of teaching, spent more money in the first few years of his career, between $500 and $1,000 each school year, as he was building up his supplies.

Now, he spends $100 to $400 on necessities each school year.

This depends on “the bulletin boards that I’m making, the activities that I’m doing … updating the bookcases, because things are outdated within just a couple years, new stories need to be featured, new stories need to be highlighted,” John said.

Teachers, then, only get to write off $300 of the school supplies they buy for taxes, John said. This often doesn’t cover the full extent of what they spend, John noted.

This isn’t to say schools and parent-teacher associations don’t support teachers and help them start the school with what they need, John said. But additional supplies are often needed to make sure all students have what they need to learn, John said.

Brandon, a third-grade teacher in Texas, said “it’s definitely expected [for teachers to buy supplies and decor for their classrooms], but it’s also, I think, something that isn’t really spoken about, but we just do it.”

“I think as teachers, we strive to really make opportunities for learning and for engagement and fun for our students,” he said.

It costs money to make exciting, comfortable and…