Teachers Spend $1.3 Billion Out of Pocket on Classroom Materials
Total teacher expenditures on classroom supplies and instructional materials reached $3.5 billion in the 2009-2010 school year, including support from parents and PTAs.
Public school teachers in the United States spent more than $1.33 billion out of pocket on school supplies and instructional materials in the 2009-2010 school year, according to new research released by the National School Supply and Equipment Association (NSSEA), a trade association for educational product companies.
The report, "The 2010 NSSEA Retail Market Awareness Study," was based on a survey of 308 K-12 teachers in May 2010 conducted by Perry Research Professionals. It revealed that teachers spent on average $356 of their own money on supplies and resources, including an average of $170 on supplies and $186 on instructional materials. (Instructional materials were defined as software and games, as well as paper-based teaching aids and other non-equipment teaching materials; supplies were defined as printer paper, arts and crafts supplies, pencils, glue, and other similar supplies.)
Despite the total $1.33 billion out of pocket price tag for classroom materials, average individual teacher expenditures were actually down this year compared with previous studies: $395 in a 2007-2008 NSSEA study and $552 in a 2005-2006 NSSEA study.
Why the recent decline?
"Teachers are feeling the pinch just like others affected by the downturn in the economy," Adrienne Watts