Teachers buying school supplies out of their own pocket

[bluestateguy]

We all know that this has been going on for years, but facing the likely loss of income due to these bills, a teacher might well have to stop spending $300 of his/her own money to purchase classroom supplies.

Maybe public school teachers in Wisconsin, Ohio or Idaho will respond to these new bills by refusing to spend a dime of their own money on classroom supplies. Parents who complain about lack of classroom supplies would be welcome to partake in a fundraiser like a bake sale, a car wash or perhaps they could try and raise the money from local businesses. Or perhaps they could write to their state legislators to get the laws changed. Either way, teachers may not want to continue forking over this money themselves unless they make a living wage with job security.

Teachers are professionals, not charity workers or philanthropists.

[HockeyMom]

1. Tissues and TOILET PAPER

Oh, it's not just "school" supplies. We were told there were no more funds for any of these. When you have special needs Pre-K kids you NEED tissues and toilet paper. We went to COSTCO and bought the above with our own money. I work with a CP child who has special equipment to feed himself. I actually went out and bought dish soap so I could wash his forks and bowls. They won't give me money to wash his feeding equipment. Do they think I should feed him with dirty dishes? They just plain DON'T CARE.

Thank you, Mr. Scott and Florida.

[RayOfHope]

2. I've spent that three times over already this school year. I spent over $100 last week n/t

[bluestateguy]

3. I apologize. I was just throwing out a random number

Probably a number I heard used 20 years ago.

I'm not a public school teacher, so I could not say how much.

[RayOfHope]

6. I'd say you're pretty accurate. I teach kindergarten..

and we use lots of 'stuff'. Your point is right on, though. Other than maybe work clothing/uniforms, how many other professions pay so much out of pocket for supplies for their jobs?

[Lifelong Protester]

4. I want us to sponsor a garage sale, right on the main drag of town

and have a HUGE banner.... "FUNDS for TEACHERS to buy SCHOOL SUPPLIES"

[Davis_X_Machina]

5. It's encouraged by the system.

To have, say, construction paper on hand on 1 March 2012, it would have to be budgeted for, with a catalog number, page number, unit cost, and total, from one of three suppliers, in October of 2010. The department budget goes to administration in December of 2010, where it's combined with all the other cost centers' requests. The superintendent's office prepares a budget for the budget committee of the school board, which will hold public hearings in January and February of 2011. They then adjust the budget and present a draft to the whole board in March. The board tweaks the draft in April. The board then prepares warrants -- the parts of a referendum -- that go out to the towns that make up the district for referendum in parts in May, 2011. If all the articles pass -- If the referendum does not pass, with all four towns approving all nine warrants, then the budget is reduced -- rejection by law cannot be interpreted as a message that the budget was too small, only too large -- and sent back out to the towns, until all four towns pass all nine warrants -- then beginning in July, after the next fiscal year begins, individual teachers and departments cut purchase orders for things that don't require three competitive bids. For big things, bids go out in July to three vendors, and a vendor is selected in August or September. In late August if we're lucky, all warrants pass, there are no recissions or freezes in the meantime, actual supplies start coming in. And that's it, for the year. Unspent money is usually frozen around Christmas, for use in paying bills that no one could have foreseen, or that 'no one could have foreseen'.

During this process, vendors will have changed prices, merged, gone out of business. Newer, even cheaper sometimes, products will have come on the market, and cannot be ordered say in September of 2011, because they weren't the October 2010 request. Try buying software and electronics on that cycle.

I can't go to NewEgg, or Ebay, or Overstock.com, no matter how much it might save. There's no way to accommodate such vendors in the budget process.

Is there any wonder we just go out and buy the damned stuff?

[RayOfHope]

7. +1. n/t

[senseandsensibility]

8. In teaching circles this is accepted practice

I do it and have done it regularly for years, and so do all the teachers I work with. We rarely mention it to each other. I am always surprised when others react to it. Most people are shocked, and very supportive. It must be because teaching is the only profession in which this is done regularly.

[Snoutport]

9. I spend more than that!

Two years ago I paid for most of the prom out of my own pocket. It was either that or the kids weren't gonna have one.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

10. I won't let my husband spend our money on the school

We have our own kids to support. We can't support everyone else's kids.

[Generic Other]

11. we buy books second hand until we get enough for a whole class

otherwise they would not have reading materials at all.

[mrmpa]

12. As a teacher I have always refused to buy supplies for my

students. I've been vilified for it on DU, but I have stood still on the issue. With a Master's Degree, I was making less than $40K, there was no way I could afford these items. It is the school's responsibility to insure that students have supplies. Often when a student would ask me for something, I would say "it's not in my contract to pay for your supplies." Harsh I know, but I would follow it up by telling them to see the secretary, because I knew that there was a supply room, that only she had the key for, and teachers were bashed if they would ask for anything. Often my student(s) would get pencils and notebooks.

It can work.

[bluestateguy]

13. I support you

Republican parents can hold bake sales and car washes to raise the money if they wish, or write to their legislators to demand higher teacher pay.