The Washington Post – Emma Brown
“American teachers are not particularly well-paid, but that doesn’t stop them from digging into their own pockets to buy supplies for their students. Most professionals don’t have to pay out-of-pocket for essential work tools. But paying for essential school supplies is such a fixture of a teacher’s job that it’s recognized in the federal tax code: Teachers can deduct up to $250 for unreimbursed purchases of books, computers and other classroom essentials. The deduction hardly means that teachers recoup their costs: The average U.S. teacher spends about $500 of their own money to outfit their classrooms each year, and one in 10 teachers says he or she spends more than $1,000 each year…Lots of times, teachers do this quietly, without fanfare or thanks. But earlier this month talk show host Ellen DeGeneres highlighted the hidden sacrifices of the nation’s teachers with a surprise for Meghan Bentley, a Virginia second-grade teacher.”(more)