Annually, educators in the U.S. spend between $500 and $900 of their own money on average to purchase school supplies and materials for their classrooms, according to the National Education Association (NEA). Spending money out-of-pocket for their students has become a difficult reality that many teachers have accepted as a part of their job. Josh Forsythe, the theater teacher at Franklin, admits, “It’s sometimes just easier to pay for [supplies] myself, which I do every year, and I kind of accept it as part of the deal.” That said, new analysis from the Groundwork Collaborative and the Century Foundation reports that prices of school supplies have risen by 20% since 2020, and this school year is expected to be the most expensive yet for educators nationwide. Since last year alone, the cost of index cards has increased by 42.6%, notebooks by 17.1%, and binders by 12.8%.
Rising prices for school supplies disproportionately impact lower-income school districts. The NEA reports that, in schools where 75% or more of students are eligible for reduced-price school lunches, teachers are not only more likely to have to spend more of their personal money on classroom materials, but they are also more likely to rely on crowdsourcing funds from platforms like GoFundMe. Franklin English teacher Ellen Whatmore says that, while she knows colleagues who have successfully crowdsourced supplies, “Donors aren’t so excited to fund the boring stuff. Paper and pencils, the cornerstones of an English classroom, aren’t as glamorous or exciting as other supplies, but they are crucial, and should be a certainty.” Teachers are also making 5% less money than they were 10 years ago when adjusted for inflation, according to the NEA. Kimberly Livesay, a social studies teacher at Franklin, adds, “We’re lucky in that we’re a big school, and I think we get a lot of support.”
“Educators can take an above-the-line tax deduction of up to $300 for qualifying classroom expenses, which reduces their taxable income,” reports the NEA, yet 94% of teachers still find themselves spending money out–of–pocket, many of them well beyond $300. Livesay describes how, at Franklin, you can either request money from the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at the beginning of the year or from the school’s bookkeeper. Whatmore affirmed that $100 is contractually guaranteed to all Portland Association of Teachers (PAT) members. Yet, Forsythe expressed concerns that the avenues for getting money or grants cannot provide teachers with the materials they need in a timely manner, saying, “There are resources out there, but sometimes they’re not easily accessible in the timeframe that I have.”
For students to learn and fully engage with educational material, they need school supplies to be accessible in classrooms. Livesay explains that many students learn best through interactive activities, but those activities require supplies. An annual activity for her government class, where she teaches students about tariffs, requires her to purchase roughly 300 lollipops for her classes in total. Activities where students learn interactively can have significant educational value, but they can be costly for educators.
Additionally, the materials a teacher needs for their classroom aren’t limited to pens, notebooks, or other instructional tools; snacks are another oft-overlooked product teachers purchase for students. Livesay explains, “It’s not just a student being hungry, because they know that we have free lunch [and] free breakfast — it’s also just that access [to food] gives comfort and builds relationships. … It lets them know that I care.”
With Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits being cut in Oregon, food has become an even more valuable resource because many families are now unable to consistently afford meals and groceries, leaving many students hungry. Studies show that ensuring students are well-fed allows them to be in a state of mind where they are ready to learn.
Livesay believes that having fun activities or snacks helps make the classroom feel much more comfortable “when you’re in a system … where everything is so regimented, everything is so precise: [a system that regulates] when students can go to the bathroom, eat lunch, do everything,” she explains. Whatmore adds that the value of the materials teachers purchase for their students is “literally unquantifiable, despite what receipts might show. We can’t assume that all students have the necessary tools to fully engage in learning activities, and if we don’t fill the supply gap, how can we possibly expect to close the learning gaps?”
For members of the Franklin community with the means to donate supplies, donations make a big difference for both teachers and students. Livesay says that, while markers are usually one of the most common items she finds herself having to purchase, a student donation has meant she hasn’t had to deal with that so far this year. If a student or parent doesn’t want to bring supplies in–person, there are also online platforms for donating to specific teachers or classrooms, or that can help people who want to donate find teachers in need and specific lists of necessary supplies. Donors Choose and Adopt A Classroom are both nonprofits that have helped get supplies to millions of students in need. The cost of classroom supplies adds up quickly, but with a whole community rallying behind them, public school teachers can be better able to give their students the best education possible.
