Supplies for one school year for all of our JBBP, STEAM, Special Ed, RSP teachers and support staff is $16,000

Teachers do as much as they can to support their students — including spending their own money.

Support our kids and our teachers!

In fact, 94 percent of public school teachers spend their personal income on classroom supplies without reimbursement, writes education reporter Madeline Will. Teachers aren’t splurging on pizza parties either; they’re paying for paper towels, pencils, dry erase markers, books, paper, ink cartridges, and any other basic supplies their classrooms need. And this doesn’t even begin to cover the equipment for more specialized subjects, like science or music.

The out-of-pocket spending is only going to get worse, says Daniel B. Kline at The Motley Fool. Teachers spent 39 percent more of their own money in 2018 than they did the year before, and not by choice. Student learning requires certain materials, but school budgets keep getting tighter. And certain families — especially those living in poverty — can’t afford to buy these supplies. So teachers feel pressured to provide the resources themselves.

Teachers already wear many hats. But with budget cuts and insufficient salaries, they’re also adding “fundraiser” to their job descriptions. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools and organizations that want to help teachers equip their classrooms.