Local teachers spend hundreds of dollars out of pocket on classroom supplies

kxan ^ | Sept. 17, 2019 | Kevin Clark

[bgill]

These purchases add up.

That’s why KXAN investigators surveyed nearly 50 elementary, middle and high school teachers in Central Texas to learn how much they spent or plan to spend out of their own pockets on classroom supplies this year.

More than a quarter (29%) said they spent or plan to spend between $100.00 and $250.00. 42% spent between $250.00 and $500.00. Another 29% said they spent more than $500.00 on classroom supplies. Jones is in her second year of teaching. She says in her first year, she spent around $2,000. This year she said she’ll spend less money, but it will still be more than $500.00.

[bgill]

What a load of horse hockey. I taught for 13 years so should know. At the end of the year, you should see the load upon load of brand new school supplies that are trucked out of classrooms to the dumpster. Scissors and rulers don't wear out but to the dumpster they go.

The person in the article says colored pencils go missing. Excuse me, I handed down my own 4th grade crayons and 7th grade colored pencils to our kids and they're now in the desk where I'm typing. If she runs out of the same supplies year after year, then make them bring two boxes of colored pencils instead of one. Also, combining colored pencils into one communal box takes away pride of ownership so it's no wonder they go missing.

Most school supply lists here average less than $20. Sales at the first of the school year are great with many items a dime or quarter each. What the heck is she spending thousands of dollars on other than she's cheating on her taxes. At $1000 for 17 students (average number of students per classroom here) = almost $60 which is 3 times the normal school supply list. What the heck is she buying and more importantly WHY?

Pretzels? Kids get free breakfast, free lunch and an occasional free snack from the lunchroom via tax dollars. Instead of tossing everything in the garbage, my students were encouraged to save their fruit, milk/juice and packaged chips in the classroom fridge for later or for their bus rides.

That color printer a teach bought was strictly her choice. Kids don't NEED to have colored handouts. Speaking of printouts, parents should visit their school's copy room and see the waste. I would gather up some of the trashed papers and let my students have them for scratch paper, note taking or even assignments.

If a child doesn't have clothes, there's always a clothing box at schools. Or church that has a clothing room that will donate but then that would be acknowledging a religious organization and we can't have that especially in lib Austin. Local stores always have donation bins at the front door for school supplies and what not.

[Politically Correct]

Apparently we're paying these teachers too much....";^)

[Craftmore]

I agree with everything you just said.In fact the school supplys I bought for my children were confiscated by the teacher to be passed out to everyone.When my child told me that I went to the classroom and demanded the return of everything that was my childs.

[max americana]

“I bought for my children were confiscated by the teacher to be passed out to everyone.”

Was the teacher’s name obama? So this idiot teacher just shared your kid’s property to others? You’re too nice as I would have done worse to this clown..

[softengine]

For many years, I would get a list of things to supply my kids with for the school year. Same list every year. And every year, we'd clear out their desks with all this junk not even half used.

My humble opinion, it's a racket. I never needed a list of stuff the length of my arm. I went to school with a notebook for each class, 1 or 2 pencils (the rest stayed at home until I needed more), and my books covered in brown paper bag wrapping. Around junior high, my parents splurged and got me an organizer binder.

That's it. No, 5 boxes of kleenex. No 3 boxes of crayons. No 7 glue pens. But then again, what we learned and how we learned it back then was vastly different.

[txrefugee]

I taught for many years in Texas schools. Illegal alien children arrive in Texas by the thousands. On their first day of school, whenever that might be, many of them ask for their “free stuff,” the few words of English they know.

[1956tbyrd]

there’s probably a lot of parents who don’t buy their kid’s supplies knowing that some good samaritan will provide them for free.

[RandallFlagg]

They dig these stories out every election cycle.
ESPECIALLY when there’s a republican President.

[jeffc]

Parents are given lists as to what they need to send their kids to school with. Once there, the teacher confiscates everyone’s supplies to be handed out as needed so no one has to do without. You know, Socialism. Gotta teach the kids early on...

[bgill]

One year, I moved to another building and left cabinets full of supplies and crafts for the new teacher. When I went over to welcome her, she’d thrown out everything. I was beyond mad.

[Bommer]

Oh no! What a tragedy! Maybe you should do something like when I was in school....pickup a dam book and teach something! Getting sick of donating book bags to people too poor to afford one, but rich enough to have an iPhone 10

[bort]

Could there be a whiny or bunch of people? Public school teachers bitch and complain more than any human beings I know. They have the easiest of jobs, they get salary and benefits that are much higher than average Americans, but we constantly have to hear them gripe. Slugs.

[Honest Nigerian]

And again we need to question the whole concept of “public education”. What is described in these posts by the various parents just shows how big the problem has become.
Sad situation.

[bgill]

That teacher in the article saying she had to buy books for the classroom library.... geez. Our school had so many books that kids would pass down to younger classes that we’d give away bags of 10 books as prizes for the end of school games day. All was good as most were on the STAR reading list so they’d get points and prizes (a trip to the donut or pizza shop) for reading and then recycle the books again.

I’d stand in the hall between classes just to hand out excess books. The incentive would be they could eat lunch in my room rather than the lunchroom. Why that was fun, I don’t know.

There’s no reason for the Austin teacher to buy new books every year.

[Dogbert41]

Totally simple. Put out a list of supplies every student should bring to school. If they don’t, tough luck kiddo. I’m getting to have the opinion that our public schools are doing far more harm than any good whatsoever, that maybe we should burn them all to the ground and leave education completely up to the parents, along with everything else.

[fluffy]

A color printer? Although it’s been decades, I can still smell the purple ink from the mimeograph machine and my education was, I suspect, better than what these kids are getting. No color printer required.

[zaxtres]

Great way to teach socialism to the children. Hand over your school supplies and we will distribute them to the masses. Great socialism lesson. Thanks for being a commie teacher. Kommon Kore does wondurs for our kids!

[hal ogen]

Are the parents of these kids spending money on tattoos, crack ciggies, alcohol or ho’s? After all...they are the kids’ parents.

[vigilence]

California teachers are second in the nation in pay at $78,000/yr yet our children rank 47th in the nation scholasticly. Why would I give more for supplies, especially since more and more classrooms are equipped with computers as their main teaching tool.

[Some Fat Guy in L.A.]

I know an elementary school teacher that always spent out of pocket for her class. Not standard school supplies usually - candy for bribes and supplies for special projects that, in a sane world, the parents would be expected to purchase themselves. Putting out a list and expecting the parents to buy it is no longer acceptable, because there might be that one kid whose parents don’t read the note (or who doesn’t have parents, etc.) and that kid will be made to feel bad. So rather than buck the system the teacher buys enough for everyone.

Our public schools have become pretty much the stuff of nightmares. If I had young children or grandchildren I would do whatever I could to keep them out of public school.