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Does the Average Teacher Spend ‘Nearly $500 a Year’ on School Supplies?
National Review ^ | 05/31/2018 | By FREDERICK M. HESS & RJ MARTIN

Posted on 06/01/2018 9:59:37 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

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To: Clutch Martin

Yes the tax law allows for a small deduction. And you need receipts.

As for the general use of personal funds, I used computer software ( microsoft, and test generation tools as well as software for special projects) I also purchased a projector for my use but the following year the school supplied all teachers with class projectors. Too late, I had already filed for the deduction. I also bought a high speed printer which I used for handouts for a while but eventually the school caught up to this and bought a professional machine.

Once in a while I brought in treats, one time pizza for the class. I know, this was for a contest but it set me back some and I did not want the reputation of doing this all the time.

In general I would bet that the generous staff would likely spend the subject $500 each year. At one school, they had staff that worked with the local community to get cast off stuff which was provided each year to the teachers. That was a very good way to resolve the concept of not enough classroom supplies.

On the other hand, when teaching Chemistry, I only had to call the district warehouse and have any chemicals I needed sent over. So it varies from district to district.


61 posted on 06/01/2018 11:31:58 AM PDT by KC_for_Freedom
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To: Architect of Avalon

I thought about that but I also wanted to coach.

What good teachers should do is find a way to kick out the union and contract directly for their pay. This would reward the more deserving teachers and put teachers on a par with other workers.


62 posted on 06/01/2018 11:34:56 AM PDT by KC_for_Freedom
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To: Architect of Avalon

I thought about that but I also wanted to coach.

What good teachers should do is find a way to kick out the union and contract directly for their pay. This would reward the more deserving teachers and put teachers on a par with other workers.


63 posted on 06/01/2018 11:34:56 AM PDT by KC_for_Freedom
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To: metmom

Isn’t that pretty much what I wrote?


64 posted on 06/01/2018 11:36:12 AM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: KC_for_Freedom

I respect what you’re saying in principle, however, I would worry that merit for teachers would be defined as leftist activism as it is with college applicants.


65 posted on 06/01/2018 11:42:00 AM PDT by Architect of Avalon
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To: Jemian
I spend lots of my own money for my profession...we also have a container at work for extra needs for patients that WE buy...reading glasses, hair conditioner, puzzles, books, etc...

no employer has ever paid for my stethoscope, my bandage scissors,my uniforms, etc...all necessary...

66 posted on 06/01/2018 11:47:05 AM PDT by cherry
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To: Jonty30

Yes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.


67 posted on 06/01/2018 11:48:16 AM PDT by Mears
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To: Conan the Librarian
teachers get paid plenty...don't let anyone fool you....they don't want you to know how much they make and how they pad their fat retirements by taking online classes...

it true they start out low...but their pay rises quickly and they never can be fired once their "in" the club...

68 posted on 06/01/2018 11:49:07 AM PDT by cherry
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To: bgill

The NEA says Texas spent $10,456 per student for the 2017-18 school year.

See here:

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/15/texas-student-teacher-spending-average/

I wonder if the state has broken down WHERE this amount (per student) goes to.... I can’t believe that nothing there goes to students at all. How can a student not have paper or pencil with this money spent per student?


69 posted on 06/01/2018 11:50:50 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
My rant: If a teacher does in fact spend $500 on supplies spread out over the year, so what? (1) it's their choice and (2) if they teach in a district where families can't afford the basics, it's a small contribution compared to the economic lives their students lead.

The ones I feel sorry for are Substitute Teachers. They make nowhere near what teachers do, yet some are very qualified and capable. They often go into classrooms where everything is locked up. They have to come prepared with supplies they purchased themselves (out of their relatively small paychecks) to be available, just in case.

70 posted on 06/01/2018 11:53:31 AM PDT by grania (President Trump, stop believing the Masters of War!)
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To: KittenClaws
Teachers don’t even work a full year.

A lot of good teachers work the same hours in that short year as people who work the whole year.

71 posted on 06/01/2018 11:53:37 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Kill: google,TWITTER,FACEBOOK,WaPo,Hollywd,CNN,NFL,BLM,CAIR,Antifa,SPLC,ESPN,NPR,NBA)
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To: Leaning Right

RE: In our district at least, the schools no longer cover optional student expenses. So when a student doesn’t have the money for a field trip, we teachers pitch in. When a student doesn’t have the money for a team jacket, we teachers pitch in.

May we know what State you are referring to?

Here, according to the Washington Post ( 2015 figures ) are the Bottom spenders among the largest 100 school districts (per student):

1. Jordan, Utah ($5,708)
2. Davis County, Utah ($6,130)
3. Cypress-Fairbanks, Texas ($6,798)
4. Capistrano Unified, California ($6,811)
5. Conroe, Texas ($6,860)

Surely you were not in one of those districts....


72 posted on 06/01/2018 11:55:06 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: xzins

Doesn’t happen if you work at a shop. You get a portion not one hundred percent


73 posted on 06/01/2018 11:56:59 AM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: Architect of Avalon

The dirty little secret about Private Schools is in most cases they pay their teachers about 15% less than they would make at a public school. They know they give a better work environment so they take some advantage of that fact.

School teachers have their history of labor-to-politics incest to blame for their usage as a pendulum weight in left/right political budget troubles. They want more money handed to them (and get it) when the left is in charge and then are hurt that they get targeted for freezes, layoffs and cuts when the right swings back in on the pendulum.

It unfortunately makes those that were not aligned with the left to begin with to go that direction as the climate makes them feel like the punching bag of the right when in truth they have only their own profession’s history to blame.

Teachers in my family are absolutely top tier practitioners as measured by their district, the parents and students. They spend a lot of extra money and time every year and the job requirements and twists are very poor for that job.


74 posted on 06/01/2018 12:05:00 PM PDT by KC Burke (If all the world is a stage, I would like to request my lighting be adjusted.)
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To: Right Wing Assault

Oh, please.


75 posted on 06/01/2018 12:05:54 PM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
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To: KC Burke

There should be refundable tax credits per student per year to open the door for all parents to send their daughters and sons to private schools.

The private schools would compete for the best teachers with an array of incentives.

That would revolutionize education.


76 posted on 06/01/2018 12:11:08 PM PDT by Architect of Avalon
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To: Architect of Avalon

“There should be refundable tax credits per student per year to open the door for all parents to send their daughters and sons to private schools.


You may find this hard to believe but many very wealthy people CHOOSE to send their kids to public schools-—I have known some. They want to expose their kids to a varied mix of kids——and the high schools in the towns where they live are often excellent.

.

.


77 posted on 06/01/2018 12:17:38 PM PDT by Mears
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To: SeekAndFind

Sounds like a NEA scam to get an automatic allowance which will be another avenue for massive abuse of the tax-payers.

How much money does a supply of bananas/cucumbers and condoms cost for a class of children ?


78 posted on 06/01/2018 12:18:39 PM PDT by elbook
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To: Conan the Librarian

$50K isn’t too bad for someone right out of college. In my local county, teachers start in the $50s, and eventually, for a classroom teacher top out at a little over $100K.

That’s not underpaid, especially with the benefits provided in my county, and, especially since, if you don’t screw it up, the job’s a sinecure, and the raises are guaranteed. You won’t get rich, but you’re far from poor.

My son graduated in 2016, and his first full-time job paid about $35K, no benefits. He’s in a field where a lot of college-degreed people start out as unpaid interns, so $35K didn’t seem too awful.


79 posted on 06/01/2018 12:24:25 PM PDT by sitetest (No longer mostly dead.)
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To: Mears

I also know some that do and I don’t get it.


80 posted on 06/01/2018 12:27:32 PM PDT by Architect of Avalon
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