This article was originally published in Chalkbeat.
Jamie Epps didn’t expect to spend much of her own money on school supplies when she decided to take a teaching job in the fall of 2023.
Her mother convinced her to take up teaching as a source of income while Epps attended nursing school. Epps’ mother, a retired teacher herself, also gave her some advice.
“She told me I should probably use my money to buy classroom decorations, like bulletin boards and posters,” Epps said. “But that’s not what happened.”
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Epps was surprised when she first walked into her Florida classroom to find no supplies available: no paper, no staplers, not even dry-erase markers. Over the next few months, she spent more than $6,000 on stocking up on basic supplies and materials to teach science.
Crowdfunding sites serve as a crucial lifeline for teachers
Epps’ experience during her first days as a teacher is an extreme, but generally familiar, version of what almost every American teacher goes through. The National Teacher and Principal Survey shows that, according to the most recent data available, 95% of public school teachers reported spending their own money to buy classroom supplies – without being reimbursed.
Many teachers can deduct up to $300 in teaching expenses from their taxes, but they often spend much more. A survey by the crowdfunding platform DonorsChoose among 2,500 teachers who used the platform shows that teachers spent an average of $610 this school year.
Like Epps, most teachers spend the majority of their money on essential materials such as paper, pencils and markers. Chalkbeat asked teachers to share how much they spend on school supplies and what they spend it on. More than 120 teachers from across the country responded.
They reported spending anywhere from $65 to $6,000. Their purchases include items to make students more comfortable and learning more fun. Many said they expected to spend more on students this year than last year.
Below, some of these teachers share in their own words how and why they spend money out of their own pockets on their classrooms.
A comfortable place for students is the teacher’s goal
Judy Hall is an English teacher at Barringer High School in Newark, New Jersey
I have been teaching for 25 years and am used to spending my own money. Part of my spending is on teaching resources: I subscribe to some newspapers because I use articles to teach English, and I buy books for my classroom library.
I also buy decorative items: It is important that the classroom is comfortable and cozy for the students and for myself, as that is where I spend most of my day. Many of my students are food insecure, so I try to have snacks and protein bars with me. I also keep menstrual products, a sewing kit, a full body mirror, and first aid supplies.
Last year I paid about $1,500, and I expect to spend the same amount this year. It’s more than I was used to, especially since the price of food has risen so much.
I like that children feel like they can come by for extra help. I am a very strict teacher. In my class everyone has to follow the rules and do their work. Having these types of home experiences helps build a stronger connection.
Students with disabilities need appropriate equipment
Ellen Brody-Kirmss is a special education teacher at Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn, New York
I have been teaching for 19 years and in the beginning I spent a lot more money than I do now. I had no lesson plans, no curriculum, or even a classroom of my own. So I had to buy a rolling cart that I could take from one place to another.
I am a special education teacher, and both my parents were too. In their time, which is now ancient history, the materials that could help the students they taught were not available: they had to be inventive. I am part of that tradition.
This year I am teaching a course to students with intellectual disabilities who are part of the ACES [Academics, Career, and Essential Skills] Program. In high school, there is nothing in the off-the-shelf gear that is right for them, and every student has specific needs. I bought calculators, headphones, various writing instruments and aids to help children read. I also have a lot of pictures and word games for students because they have difficulty with discourse. I expect to spend a maximum of $800 out of pocket this year.
I’m trying to get the school to buy a certain online math curriculum. If they don’t and it’s cheap enough, I’ll buy it, but I don’t want to have to do that.
Teacher wants classroom to become ‘best place on earth’
Mindy Gunderson is a first grade teacher at Hayden Canyon Charter in Hayden, Idaho
This year I spent about $2,000 getting started. My biggest expenses were the supplies for a self-contained workstation and classroom furnishings. When kids have finished their work, they can choose an activity from a chart where I list the independent workstations: there are building pieces, sensory boards, STEM toys, math manipulatives, and so on.
I don’t know if everyone agrees with me, but these points are essential to me. I firmly believe that learning takes place through play. So in a first grade classroom, I want to incorporate as much play as possible. This also helps children develop a sense of community as they come together to play, build things and work at the stations.
I want students to enjoy coming to school. If I integrate things that they like, they want to go to school and learn. Once that happens, I can teach them anything. And if that means investing a little bit of my money, that’s fine with me because I want the relationship and my classroom to be the best place on earth.
‘I never want to go back to education’
Jamie Epps is a science teacher at Hialeah Senior High School in Hialeah, Florida
On my first day as a teacher I didn’t bring anything with me, because I heard that teachers get a small starter package. My mother, who had been a teacher for over twenty years, also told me that I should probably buy classroom decorations, such as a bulletin board.
That’s not the situation I was living in when I walked into the classroom: there were no pencils, paper, or markers. I had to buy everything from staplers to printer ink. In the 2023-2024 school year, I spent over $6,000, including materials for science experiments. I bought a classroom pet, a rabbit and an aquarium so we could study marine science.
This year the district has provided a small package with a dry-erase marker, some hall passes and a pack of post-its. I am finishing nursing school and after this experience I never want to teach again.
The salary increases for teachers are reflected in classroom costs
Polly Franklin is a Spanish teacher at Lowell Senior High School in Lowell, Indiana
As a Spanish teacher, most of what I spend of my own money goes toward subscriptions to technology that gives my students the best opportunity to learn and saves me an abundance of time. These subscriptions can add up: I spent about $300 last year and I think I’ll spend closer to $500 this school year.
There is a lot on the internet for Spanish teachers, but I don’t have time to search through all the materials in the world to find materials that are appropriate for my classroom. What I pay for myself includes Zambombazo, a website [specifically] for Spanish teachers, that gives me games and authentic songs and lyrics to bring into my classroom.
As with all teachers, my time outside of school is limited during the school year. I am a full-time caregiver for a family member and am pursuing a master’s degree. Even though I spend my own money reluctantly, I know it is worth it for the kids’ enjoyment of the lessons and also for my own sanity. I think it’s sad that for many of us, every little raise we get seems to just go back into the classroom.
Classroom supplies take priority over helping student clubs
Ceretta Morris teaches linguistics and social studies at the John D. Shoop Academy in Chicago
This year has been particularly challenging. In the past I only taught one level; now I teach three. This has meant that I need a wider variety of materials and tools. I teach four classes of 25 children every day, so I buy a lot of stuff. I ordered a box of 500 pre-sharpened pencils, sturdy pencil sharpeners, folders and boxes of copy paper.
I’m the queen taking advantage of all the donations available: Donor Choose, AdoptAClassroom, GoFundMe… I do them all, but I still spent about $600 out of my pocket. I also tried to list some of the supplies, but it is difficult to get high school parents to buy school supplies.
If I didn’t have to spend money on essentials, I would love to support the funding of our school clubs. I am a co-sponsor of our school’s Junior Beta Club [gathers] students who are performing well to provide services to the community, and I see how much funding they still need.
Wellington Soares is Chalkbeat’s national education reporting intern based in New York City. Contact Wellington at wsoares@chalkbeat.org.
Caroline Bauman is Chalkbeat’s deputy editor for engagement.
This story was originally published on Chalkbeat. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site about educational changes in public schools.
