(TargetLiberty.org) – Back-to-school shopping is once again expected to hit new sales records as many teachers are once again going to be paying for supplies for their classrooms out of pocket.
Teachers and schools have been trying to find different ways in order to cover the cost of school supplies, including using fundraisers and “student supply fees,” still around 90 percent of teachers are still forced to use their own funds for school supplies.
Back-to-school spending is expected to reach a new record of $41.5 billion. The previous sale record was set in 2021 when school supply sales had been at $37.1 billion.
School teachers and educators are only given the most basic necessities for their classrooms which means that if they want to add any supplies to their classrooms, these teachers will often be using their own funds to do so.
Executive director of the Association of American Educators (AAE) Colin Sharkey stated in an interview with the Hill last week that it was “absurd” that school teachers felt like it was required of them to use their own salaries and funds in order to provide the necessities for their students. According to a My eLearning World teachers spent an average of around $820.14 on school supplies for the 2022-2023 school year. These costs cannot be deducted from their taxes, as they are only allowed to deduct $300 for such expenses. Previously the limit had been at $250 but it was increased in 2022, and it is going to keep increasing based on the inflation adjustments necessary.
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