The graphic shows some pretty amazing data like how teachers in America spend a total $1.6 billion of their own money on school supplies each year!
An Oklahoma school teacher told Huffington Post last year that she spends about $4,000 to $6,000 of her own money on supplies for her students each year. That educator, DeAnn Moran, estimates that this number has increased over the past few years since Oklahoma has slashed education funding. Teacher salaries in Oklahoma are also some of the lowest in the nation.
“We as teachers have to find ways to be creative because I’m going to do whatever it takes to be creative for our children, even if that means it comes out of my pocket,” Moran said.
She is not alone. All around the country educators are being forced to do more with less. Last year, teachers spent an average of about $500 of their own money on supplies for students.
Additionally, the cost of living for a single person can be 40 percent or more of the average teacher salary by state. The cost of living for a married couple with two children can be anywhere from 87 to 187 percent of the average teacher salary by state.
When asked about the amount that teachers and parents spend on school supplies every year, Shane Forster, Country Manager at CouponBox ,had this to say: “I’m not surprised by those numbers. In our business, many of the retailers we work with are seeing more and more parents and teachers signing up for discount programs, much more so than the schools themselves. They make up a considerable portion of the customer base.”
“Teachers and parents are extremely motivated by the success of their children and students, and retailers see school supply spending increase from year to year,” he said. “Their dedication and willingness to spend is a positive sign, but can undoubtedly put a strain on some. It is our goal to help customers with as many discounts on quality products and brands during the back-to-school season as well as year round.”
Here’s how the numbers break down, in visual format: