How much money do you get to spend on your school budget? How much do you spend out of pocket?
Our school typically allows about $300 to order from catalogs, that includes print cartridges (they cost a bunch), but I usually end op spending at least $1000 each year out of my own pocket. I know there are probably some things I could do without, but I like my classroom to look nice. The kids do notice! I try to buy extra binders, paper, pencils, etc., for those students who simply can't afford them.
I've always thought it would be interesting to somehow publish how much of a teacher's personal income is spent on their students. I think the public would be shocked!
Our school gives each teacher an open PO for Office Depot in the amount of $250 each year. This is a "use it or lose it" PO. It will not carry over into the next year. My start up order alone has already used about $150! We have to buy all our own copy paper, student paper, pencils, etc.
Like you, I spend about $1000.00 a year on my classroom. I try not to keep track so that I don't feel guilty. I save my receipts, and only add them at tax time!
We're only given $100 to spend but we have all the paper we could need without limit so maybe it evens out this way? It's sad and a little upsetting to me that we're required to do certain activities and experiments with our classes but we have to supply our own supplies for these things and pay for them out of our own pockets. How ridiculous. I agree with Mellen that it would be neat for the public to see a published account of how much we spend each year on our classes. Maybe then our salaries would change.
We are given $100 to spend and aren't allowed to ask the parents for supplies or anything. This year I have 35 kids so obviously I'm spending lots!! I'd say easily $1000.00. I keep receipts but I do not add it up, even at tax time. I just take the max. deduction which would be no problem to prove. I would be very depressed and my DH would be THROUGH THE ROOF if we knew exactly what I was spending.
People are shocked when I tell them how much I spend. In my first few years of teaching it was nearly $3000.00 per year. Now I try to spend $1000.00 out of my pocket but I've been collecting stuff for 10 years now. However, I don't count books for my classroom library in my total. I probably spend at least $500.00 more there.
Like they say, ya gotta laugh to keep from crying...lol.
Last year, I had two classrooms...which I loved, but buying materials for two classrooms, and decorations, so the place would look nice, was a nightmare. I didn't want to have to haul all of my office supply items from place to place, so I had to buy for two classrooms.
This year, thankfully, I'll be at one school all day, everyday...so I have already spent...a grand total of....$30 to completely decorate my room(I'm doing a Hollywood theme)...and another $35 for organization things from the Dollar tree, Target $1 section... cubbies, and things to make my life at school more organized.folders, ..afterall...I will be teaching 44 sections of music this fall...so I need all the organization I can get. AND...I will be re-using things from last year that I can, so that will save me some money right there.
AND...I spent about $20 today on things that my classroom will need, stapler, three-hole punch (this is the first year I've ever had one), letter trays (Target had a 2 pack for $1.87), magazine file storage, and things of that nature.
So, I will probably be getting a couple more items, like an inexpensive lamp, (I might just bring one I already have from home to save money, though...since it's black), but other than that, I've spent about all I plan on spending to start off the year....so far my total is about $85. This has been a shopping on a strict budget summer for me, so I think I did pretty well, considering all the cool finds I got this summer, that I know I will need in my room this fall.
We get $150.00 a year for our room. If I order from the local teacher store they offer schools a 23% discount so I can get right around $190.00 with that. The school provides us with paper and one color and one black ink cartridge a year. I end up spending a lot of money. I make personalized memory books for each of my students so I end up using about 5 color and 5 black cartridges a year. I love doing it so I just don't add up the total. I've taught for 9 years and I am getting to the point of being tired of not being able to do lessons and things that I would like to do because of lack of materials. I have for thelast two years been trying to purchase enough balances, studnet Judy clocks, Multiplication wrap-ups, etc. I am sick of it so I splurged a little last year and bought enough balances and weights for my 5 groups. I will splurge a little more this year trying to complete some of the things that I need. I wish more parents would realize that I would love classroom donations. I would love to get something for my classroom instead of a Christmas gift for myself. We are not told that we cannot ask for things however I am unsure how to approach it tactfully!
I don't get any money to spend for my classroom. My students are required to buy their own supplies, though. I still buy a lot of extras to have as backup. I'm switching grade levels this year, so I had to buy some new things because of that. I've easily spent at least $300 out of my own pocket so far for this upcoming school year, and I'm not even halfway done yet!
I too do the memory books for each of my students and I am afraid to know how much money I wrap up in those alone! But, you're right, they're just so much fun, I can't resist! We get $100 at the start of the year and another $100 of BEP money in Jan./Feb. Our students pay a $65 supply fee for books and copy costs. They also bring their own supplies. Luckily, we have many parents in our school who love to donate. I send home a copy of my Wish List with my handbook at the beginning of the year. I also have a copy on my website and I send updated copies home with my newsletter occasionally throughout the year. So far, I've never had any complaints about it being tacky. You'll always have those parents who would never even think of giving donations. On the flip side, you'll always have some that would love to help out. My theory is, it doesn't hurt to ask! I've had a DVD player donated, a rocking chair, bean bags, and much much more! It's worth it!
I teach in an affluent district. We get $600 for our classroom through the School Specialty catalog. As a grade level, we have a separate budget where workbooks, texts, and other curriculum materials are ordered. We used to be able to put other things on there like crayons, notebooks, writing paper, and pencils, but the principal got wise to what we were trying to do and now that has to come out of our own individual budgets. The only additional money we get for our classrooms is $50 from the PTO. What I find really annoying is that the catalog (School Specialty) charges such inflated prices. The school district receives a discount, but it isn't passed on to the teachers. I find myself stocking up on things like crayons, pencils, notebooks and markers when they are on sale locally because I hate to spend my dollars from the budget on over-inflated items. Luckily, print cartridges don't come out of our budgets--yet. The school secretaries were pretty witchy at the end of the year when everyone was printing digital pictures and running out. You'd think we were asking for gold. We weren't able to ask for school supplies directly until the 4-5 building started doing it. The trouble is, you can't be sure each child will have the supplies, so I find myself covering it anyway.
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07-30-2006, 09:40 AM
We have to buy all our own copy paper, student paper, pencils, etc. 
