When I first started out in elementary I would spend a lot of money making my classroom cozy, getting furniture, books, posters, prize incentives, cute activities for holidays. Now I don't need to spend as much since I have built up my arsenal. I work for a title 1 school so my students often don't have much. I try to scour my buy nothing group for back packs, pencil cases, crayons, etc. I buy good quality paper towels and tissues since the ones we get from the school are crap. Lysol wipes, printer paper, a good planner.

3rd grade

Basic supplies like pencils, crayons, colored pencils, etc.
Printer paper and a small printer for my classroom
Rugs, bookcases, other small furniture items
Snacks, cleaning supplies, sanitizer
Lots of books and other learning/study aids
Different seating options & fidget toys
I used to have a beanbag/squishmallow corner called my calm down corner but it was banished due to covid *sad*

I usually spend about $1,000+ a year.

I'm not at a Title 1 school but most of the kids at my school come from poverty in the low income apartments and housing around the school. There was a big ruckus a few years ago when the boundaries were redrawn and some of the "rich kid area" got grouped in and bused across to this school. Some years I'll have amazing parents who really get lots of donations for the classroom and I don't have to spend much OOP. Some years, like this one, I'll have more than half of the class show up on the first day without more than a notebook and single pencil.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin off question. Why does Turbo Tax specifically ask if teachers how much of their own money was spent in the classroom? BTW, I have known neonatal nurses to purchase clothes for long term care babies without any reimbursement.

Teachers can deduct up to $250 without receipts.

Not sure if people know the difference between a tax deduction and a tax credit. A $250 tax deduction is a slap in the face.

Perhaps, but we (two teachers) don't spend any money on our classrooms and are able to both apply the $250.

So you lie?

I mean, whatever, it’s trivial, have at it…but don’t brag about it or we are all going to lose the ability to deduct $250/1000 we actually spend.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach kindergarten and I'd say I spent at least $1K my first year and maybe $500 for the next few years. Now it's less than $250 each year. I had to buy everything except classroom furniture and basic school supplies that the students brought it. Classroom library books, bulletin board stuff for 4+ board, classroom posters, mailboxes, pencil cases, classroom rug, storage containers, classroom incentives, manipulatives, clipboards, ink for my color printer, my printer, etc. We don't have a PTA so it's all on us.

Why didn't you ask for Classroom book donations? Our school does this and the response is overwhelming.
We always send our kid with pencil cases, etc based on the supply list. Even the incentives are on the list.

Use your head.

Why do you have to be so rude? This poster may work in a school that limits what they can put on a supply list or ask parents for. Instead of assuming stupidity, consider that there may be factors that you don’t know about.

Or a lower income area where people rarely buy books and then are unlikely to want to give them away.

NP - There are lots of charities that will donate books to schools and libraries; teacher wish lists that can be funded by anyone, free-cycle and nonprofit grants. Teachers also need to let parents know that their school district is not supplying the needed items. Districts do this because they know teachers will make up the difference.

Teachers - here you go...
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/search-free-books

Please understand that in some districts, teachers are forbidden from telling parents what they need in the classroom. Forbidden as in lowering your rating which can lead to being dismissed. I have gotten many books from different charities or from parents in MY neighborhood (not the one I teach in). Many books that come off of free cycle or other places are either not at my grade level, are old and out of date or are unusable for other reasons. For example, Half Price Books will give any teacher who asks boxes of books. I was so excited when I got 4 boxes of books. They asked my grade level and said they'd give me books at that level. 90% of those books had to be given away to someone else. Almost none were for my grade level. I was grateful to have the 10% that worked though.

Districts which don't provide what teachers need are doing so because the budget is so limited, not because teachers will make up the difference.

No, the budget is not limited, it is allocated to other things. And some of the money needs to be re-allocated.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin off question. Why does Turbo Tax specifically ask if teachers how much of their own money was spent in the classroom? BTW, I have known neonatal nurses to purchase clothes for long term care babies without any reimbursement.

Teachers can deduct up to $250 without receipts.

Not sure if people know the difference between a tax deduction and a tax credit. A $250 tax deduction is a slap in the face.

Perhaps, but we (two teachers) don't spend any money on our classrooms and are able to both apply the $250.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spin off question. Why does Turbo Tax specifically ask if teachers how much of their own money was spent in the classroom? BTW, I have known neonatal nurses to purchase clothes for long term care babies without any reimbursement.

Teachers can deduct up to $250 without receipts.

Not sure if people know the difference between a tax deduction and a tax credit. A $250 tax deduction is a slap in the face.

Anonymous wrote:I am curious that for teacher who decide to change jobs to other schools or quit, do they take everything to home/new job with all those things that they pay out of pocket or buy using the provided school fund.

It would be nice to leave everything for the next new teacher, but it sucks that if they have to re-buy everything again in a new job at a different school. A month ago, I was wondering why my child’s teacher setup an Amazon wishlist for toy/book donations to classroom, and this is after we send her a giftcard for $800 from classroom contribution. The teacher messages us to drop off whenever they are out of snacks, paper products, school supplies etc.

I have changed districts a few times. I leave whatever is purchased by the school. When we are allowed to order things, I order consumables. This means things like tape, staples, etc. That means there might not be much left when I do leave, because the district didn't purchase anything of significance.
I have rarely left any single thing I have purchased myself. Last time I moved districts, when I had all my boxes packed up, it looked like I was moving a small apartment. My entire classroom library has 1500 books in it. (Best practices recommend at least 1000 books in elementary grade class libraries.) I personally purchased, secured as donations from friends, got super cheap at garage sales, etc, that entire library.

Anonymous wrote:Spin off question. Why does Turbo Tax specifically ask if teachers how much of their own money was spent in the classroom? BTW, I have known neonatal nurses to purchase clothes for long term care babies without any reimbursement.

Teachers can deduct up to $250 without receipts.

I am curious that for teacher who decide to change jobs to other schools or quit, do they take everything to home/new job with all those things that they pay out of pocket or buy using the provided school fund.

It would be nice to leave everything for the next new teacher, but it sucks that if they have to re-buy everything again in a new job at a different school. A month ago, I was wondering why my child’s teacher setup an Amazon wishlist for toy/book donations to classroom, and this is after we send her a giftcard for $800 from classroom contribution. The teacher messages us to drop off whenever they are out of snacks, paper products, school supplies etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach kindergarten and I'd say I spent at least $1K my first year and maybe $500 for the next few years. Now it's less than $250 each year. I had to buy everything except classroom furniture and basic school supplies that the students brought it. Classroom library books, bulletin board stuff for 4+ board, classroom posters, mailboxes, pencil cases, classroom rug, storage containers, classroom incentives, manipulatives, clipboards, ink for my color printer, my printer, etc. We don't have a PTA so it's all on us.

Why didn't you ask for Classroom book donations? Our school does this and the response is overwhelming.
We always send our kid with pencil cases, etc based on the supply list. Even the incentives are on the list.

Use your head.

Not all schools' parents are as rich as yours.

Use your head.