TEXAS – As they get ready for the new school year, teachers are taking to social media, asking people on the internet to help them “Clear the Lists” by purchasing supplies they need for their classrooms.
- Teachers in Texas make $53,000 a year on average
- Many teachers spend hundreds on supplies
- Can only get back $250 in tax refunds
If you type “Clear the Lists” in Twitter or any other social media platform now, you'll see posts where teachers share their classroom wish lists publicly.
The "Clear the Lists" social media campaign was started by a Texas educator a few weeks ago and it has since gone viral.
Back to school is an exciting time of year but it can also get very expensive, especially for teachers.
Depending on where and what they teach, many teachers say they spend hundreds to thousands of dollars out of pocket on school supplies every year.
The Texas State Teachers Association surveyed educators statewide last year on how much they spent on school supplies. Teachers that participated said they spent approximately $700 voluntarily for school supplies that year.
That's an increase from the last time the survey was conducted two years ago.
And according to the IRS, a teacher can only get back $250 for work expenses claimed on their tax returns.
Middle school teacher Cindy Maroquio said spending money to take care of her classroom's needs is an unfortunate part of being a teacher.
She added that teacher pay raises granted by the new school finance law do help, but it's not enough.
"It's nice to have some relief for the money we're spending," said Maroquio.
She says she spends around $300 to $500 a year on supplies and it has been going up.