As the nation discusses increasing costs for parents of students going back to school, a new study found that teachers are sharing that burden now, more than ever. Over 90% of teachers have spent money out of pocket for classroom supplies this year.
The study, conducted by Study.com, found that 47% of teachers felt feelings of guilt or inadequacy over not being able to spend more on their students.
“We are putting a lot of strain on our teachers financially, along with all sorts of other strains of just doing their job,” Madeline Weirman, the project manager overseeing the study shared.
Teachers are spending out of pocket to prepare to return to class
A survey of 367 teachers across the U.S. found that over 50% of teachers are spending over 100 dollars to set up their classroom for the first day of school.
Teachers who work at underprivileged schools were more likely to have to provide for their classrooms. 62% of teachers who work at a Title 1 school spend $100 or more on back-to-school supplies.
34% of responding teachers said the quantity of supplies their school provides is inadequate. Educators with that response were 59% more likely to spend over $200. In addition, 20% of teachers say the quality of supplies their school provides is inadequate. Educators with that response were 50% more likely to spend over $200.
“Our schools are, sadly, under-resourced and there is an unstated expectation that educators will spend their own money on school supplies and equipment,” Princess Moss, Vice-President of the National Education Association said. “That should not be. We don’t ask nurses and doctors to provide their own equipment for doing their jobs.”
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Teachers are relying on Amazon Wishlists
The survey also found that teachers are relying on Amazon Wish Lists to fund their classrooms.
The average cost of a wish list for the 2023/2034 school year is $281, a 12.4% increase in cost since 2021.
The most requested items on wish lists are loose leaf paper, purple school glue and backpacks. The most commonly requested categories are stationary, books and clothing.
The survey analyzed 27 teacher wish-lists using Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Teachers spend on classrooms all year
This is not the first study this year to report that making up for supply shortfalls has a financial impact on teachers.
Earlier this year, Adopt A Classroom, released a report that teachers spent on average $860 out of pocket on classroom supplies this school year.
That survey also found that 16% of teachers work a second job to support their education career.
The average classroom budget last year was $200, according to the 3,200 teachers included in the survey, and 84% said they spent money out of their own pocket to cover costs for those basic school supplies. More than 90% said their classroom budget failed to meet their student’s needs.
“It goes to the whole point of respecting the profession and respecting the educators who are a part of that profession,” Moss shared. “When we talk about the educator shortage and we know that educators have been chronically underappreciated and underpaid for decades, so the public should be concerned about this.”
