Teachers Are Spending More and More on School Supplies. Here's Why. - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly

"Second-grade teacher Demetria Richardson spends so much on school supplies she has a designated credit card to cover classroom expenses. Just don't tell her husband what the balance is, she said. Usually, the 26-year veteran educator in Richmond, Virginia, spends about $500 on back-to-school items. Over the past month, she has already topped that - and she's not done shopping."

"Crowdfunding on DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that lets individuals fund public school classroom projects, helps Richardson cover some of the costs on items like dry erase markers, pencils and printer ink. The school supply-stuffed backpacks that local churches distribute to families before the school year also help, Richardson said. Yet, none of this assistance stretches far enough to prevent teachers like her from dipping into their own wallets to serve students."

"While covering the cost of classroom supplies is a challenge educators face annually, the burden on them has grown as the price of many learning materials has jumped by 20 percent in roughly five years. "By the end of September," Richardson estimated, the total on her credit card for school is "probably going to be close to $1,200." President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign goods - and the supply chain disruptions that resulted - have partly been blamed for driving up the cost of school supplies. His freeze of over $6 billion in education funding on July 1, which he reversed before the end of that month, added to the problem by preventing schools, including Title I schools with large populations of economically disadvantaged students, from stocking classrooms with learning materials well ahead of the academic year."

A veteran second-grade teacher uses a designated credit card and expects to spend nearly $1,200 this season after typically spending about $500. Crowdfunding on DonorsChoose and supply-filled backpacks from local churches help but do not eliminate teachers' need to purchase materials personally. The price of many learning materials has risen roughly 20 percent over five years. Tariffs on foreign goods and related supply-chain disruptions have been cited as contributors to higher costs. A temporary freeze of over $6 billion in education funding hindered school purchasing, particularly affecting Title I schools and early stocking of materials.

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