Posted on 08/15/2004 9:20:58 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES - California teachers may have to scale back their out-of-pocket spending on classroom supplies after losing state and federal tax breaks that helped lower their costs.
The state Teacher Retention Tax Credit repaid educators up to $1,500 in taxes to cover some expenses but was suspended last month under the state budget plan. At the same time, a federal tax deduction for up to $250 for teachers' extra expenses expired this year.
With school budgets already tight, some worry that halting the tax breaks could prompt teachers to ration their spending on glue, crayons and other supplies or boost their expenses.
"It is a miracle what our teachers are doing every day," said Barbara Kerr, president of the California Teachers Association. "They spend thousands of dollars in their classrooms." The tax benefits' end, she suggested, represents "a tax increase for teachers."
A survey conducted by the United Teachers Los Angeles indicated its members spent on average nearly $1,050 of their own money for school supplies last year. Teachers across the country spent an average of $458, according to the National School Supply and Equipment Association.
Long Beach science teacher Martine Korach has spent hundreds of dollars buying mica, sulfur and quartz mineral samples as well as feeding and taking care of a leopard gecko, a corn snake and other classroom pets.
In the end, those and other classroom expenses totaled nearly $3,000 a year, she said.
"The general public doesn't really understand how much we spend out of our own pockets just to be able to do our jobs," Korach said. "But we all do it because it's the best for the kids, and that's why we are here."
Michael Day, a veteran teacher in Long Beach who received $1,000 in state tax credit last year, said the losses were a blow to many teachers.
"This is just another thing that cuts into their salaries," Day said.
The state credit was first offered in 2000; California spent $180 million on it during the 2003-04 tax year. Legislators have agreed to suspend it until 2007.
The National Education Association and some lawmakers are trying to revive the federal teacher tax deduction for supplies, which was first offered in 2002. The association is asking teachers to save their receipts in hopes that Congress will pass proposed legislation that would make the expense deduction permanent and increase the maximum deduction to $400 or $500.
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Figures.
Teachers have always spent their own money on classroom materials. Some are cheap but many will spend 2 to 3K or more in a single year. How much they spend is not affected in the least by tax rules, in my experience.
HELPFUL HINT TO MARTINE: For $3,000 one can buy more mica, quartz and sulfur as well as gecko and snake food than it is possible to consume in a year. Shop elsewhere. Better yet, stop spending your own money and start teaching your students. I can guarantee that when public education did a better job of educating, teachers spent little if anything on such things.
That'll buy a heck of a lot of #2 pencils.
Cry me a river. My oh my, who to lay off, middle management, counselors, psychologists, gay and lesbian advisors, clinic staff...
What programs to cut, sex education, re-education, indoctrination, liberal studies...
The money is there, it's all a matter of priorities folks. Do we want to run a feel-good programs center, or provide education to the kids?
So far education is coming in a distant second.
Have a damned bake sale, put out fliers asking for help, I'm sure people will help out these kids so that they have some paper and glue!!!
Talk about wasted ink and paper on a non-issue. In LA for god sake, I'm sure there is some rich celeb that would be willing to pitch in and help.
Besides, it sounds like these people were getting reimbursed with our money anyway. Instead of reaching out to Uncle Sam, why don't they reach out to papa and mama source in their own neighborhood so the rest of us can help our neighbors
Just how much supplies does it take to teach reading, english, math, geography and history? As for the sciences, perhaps a little extra is needed, but it's my contention that these fools waste more money than you and I could ever imagine.
In California, in some cases we spend over 1/3rd of the education budget in k-12 on the children of illegal immigrants. Funny how I don't hear teachers lamenting that.
The teachers will have plenty of money for supplies when the unions refund their dues that are being illegally used for RAT political benefit.
If there are shortages, why the heck aren't parents asked to fill in instead of teachers? How all-encompassing does FREE need to be? The education isn't enough, now ALL supplies must be free too? And lunches and breakfasts? Shoot, why don't we just take the kids and hand them back at 18. Wait, that's what liberals are working towards. /s
A few years ago it was found out that the higher ups in the CA board of education were paying a limosuine service co just to shuttle members from home to work.
Do you remember those weeks before school started for your first grader? There you were, you and your proud new student walking the aisles of the local Costco with your list of school supplies in hand. You checked off the pencils, a ruler, a compass, paste, construction paper, a pencil holder, notebooks and erasers. At home, your first grader takes the supplies into his room and spreads everything out on the bed. Arranges them this way – then that way. Pencils next to the erasers, glue and construction paper lined up over here, compass and ruler lined up over there. These are his supplies. His! Do you hear? And tomorrow he is going to take them to school. He couldn't be more proud.
Finally, the first day of school arrives. The night before all of the school supplies are packed, repacked, unpacked and repacked again. Then, that morning, just one more unpacking and repacking to make sure everything's still there and undamaged. OK! It's off we go to school! Apprehension mixed with pride. Your young man or woman is taking another grand step toward adulthood! What could go wrong?
Plenty. Remember, it's a government operation.
The students are seated, the bell rings. As fast as you can say the Pledge of Allegiance without the "under God" part, the indoctrination begins. The government teacher steps in front of her virtual hostages and promptly delivers the first raw lesson in the power of government. The students are instructed to bring all of their precious school supplies – their property – to the front of the classroom and put them into a huge box. They are told that the supplies belong to all of the class now, and the teacher will assume the responsibility of distributing the supplies as they are needed.
"Whoaa! Hold on a minute here! These are my supplies. My daddy bought them for me. You can't have them! They're mine!"
Nope. Sorry! They were yours. Now all those supplies belong to – guess who? The government!
There's a method to this madness. Your child is being taught that there are some severe limits to the concept of private property. It is perfectly OK, for instance, if the government just steps up and seizes your property if there are other people who might need some of your stuff. After all, it's just not right for you to have something that other people don't have or can't share in, is it?
This whole "dump your supplies into this box" is not an innocent exercise. Your child's teacher might not even be aware of it, but this lesson in government power is a time-honored method of introducing your child to the concept that there is something basically wrong with owning private property – but everything will be OK if you just let your superiors even things out a bit by taking some stuff from you and giving it to someone else. How did Marx present this concept? I think it was something like "From each according to his ability; to each according to his need."
Day number one, lesson number one: Your rights to your property exist only so long as government will allow, and it's just not fair to have more stuff than someone else.
And this is just the first week! More surprises in store! Wait until you get that call from your child's teacher with vague, dark hints of a better world for your child if only he was on Ritalin.
Exactly. Many of my grandchildren are in Catholic schools and they need to bring in copy paper, tissues, paper towels and any number of items.
Depending on the teacher, some have the kids bring in all supplies at the beginning of the year. Other teachers go through the class alphabetically and get items on an as needed basis. That's probably the way to go in lower income areas.
It was front page news in the Grand Rapids Press this morning.
waaaa mmwaaaaaa mmwaaaa
What tax break does a mechanic get for the tools he must buy to do his job. Teachers should get the same tax break as the mechanic or anyone else that needs to bring tools to work as part of their job.
Does anyone have details on mechanics tax break vs the tax break teachers were getting? Did the teachers get it automatically or did they have to document the expenses?
Mrs. Homer spends about $750-1000/yr on school stuff. I just itemize it as cash charitible donations. (When I can get her to actually save the receipt.)
A business can get tax breaks on equipment several different ways, either through the cost of upgrading equipment, writing off depreciation of equipment and vehicles, etc. Teachers were required to itemize and document every single item (and in some cases provide justification for the educational use). I have a friend who established an L.L.C., then bought a Corvette as his "business vehicle" and writes off the depreciation every year. Think a teacher could get away with that?
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