skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

As climate change conference opens, one CA city takes action; Israel and Hamas extend Gaza truce by one day in a last-minute deal; WV could lose hundreds of millions in Medicaid funding.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urges Israel to protect civilians amid Gaza truce talks, New York Rep. George Santos defends himself as his expected expulsion looms and CDC director warns about respiratory illness as flu season begins.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Congress has iced the Farm Bill, but farmer advocates argue some portions are urgent, the Hoosier State is reaping big rewards from wind and solar, and opponents react to a road through Alaska's Brooks Range, long a dream destination for hunters and anglers.

Out-of-Pocket School Supplies Add Up for South Dakota Teachers

play audio
Play

Thursday, August 29, 2019   

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Across the U.S., salaries of many public school teachers continue to stagnate, with some looking to a second job to help make ends meet.

Nonetheless, every year teachers are paying for school supplies for which they are not reimbursed.

Before the year is over, the average South Dakota teacher will spend $350 of his or her own money on classroom materials.

Mary McCorkle, president of the South Dakota Education Association, says a new survey shows an overwhelming majority of K-through-12 teachers spend their own money to ensure students have what they need for a successful school year.

"There was a 2018 Department of Education survey that was released last week, and it indicates that 94% of public school teachers in the U.S. pay for supplies without reimbursement," she points out.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average out-of-pocket spending on school supplies by teachers is $460 per year.

California teachers spend almost twice as much on school supplies as do teachers in South Dakota, averaging $664 for which they are not reimbursed.

McCorkle notes that many teachers shop back-to-school sales, not only for their own children, but the children they teach.

She adds that parents also frequently purchase extra markers or notebooks and send them to classrooms because they want every student to have the supplies they need.

"Somebody doesn't have money for lunch, or they're behind, teachers are paying for that or educators are paying for that to make sure kids get fed,” McCorkle relates. “They are in the winter – somebody needs a coat – they're making sure that students have those."

The survey shows that teachers' unreimbursed school supply spending actually has increased overall since the economic recovery following the Great Recession.

State-by-state spending varies due to students' needs, how schools are funded in the state and the state's cost of living.

Disclosure: South Dakota Education Association contributes to our fund for reporting on Education. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The Economic Policy Institute found the number of child labor law violations increased from 1,012 in 2015 to 3,876 in 2022. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A bill in Congress with a Connecticut House sponsor aims to reduce child labor in the United States. Called the "Children Harmed in Life-Threatening …


Social Issues

play sound

As the opioid crisis continues, more New Hampshire grandparents are seeking financial help to raise their grandchildren. Already struggling with the …

Social Issues

play sound

As of Jan. 1, insulin will become a lot more affordable for many Nebraskans, and those who have come to rely on telehealth visits are more likely to …


Extremes of hot and cold weather have taken their toll on a concrete barrier along Binghamton's Riverwalk. Concrete crumbles between the stones of the wall in upstate New York. (Chet Wiker/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Some state and local lawmakers are on a long list calling on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to require big oil companies to help offset the costs of …

Environment

play sound

Utilities and government agencies in the U.S. are carrying out plans to transition to cleaner electricity sources. To avoid being left behind…

More than 45,000 Washingtonians are diagnosed with diabetes each year, according to estimates. (Chinnapong/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

November has been Diabetes Awareness Month - but heading into the holidays, people who are diabetic know they can't lose their focus on keeping it in …

Environment

play sound

Conservation groups are celebrating a long-fought battle to protect the dwindling population of wolverine in the Northwest and northern Rockies…

Environment

play sound

As world leaders gather in Dubai for the international conference on climate change, the City of Long Beach is acting on multiple fronts to help the …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021