AURORA, Colo. — As teachers get ready to welcome students back into their classrooms, they're also spending extra money for the first day of school.
Jennifer Turner has been teaching for 19 years. This year, she's starting at a brand new school, Aurora Highlands P-8 as a first grade teacher.
“Transferring schools was a great way for me to go through all my boxes, all my drawers, and everything," said Turner.
Turner starts her back-to-school shopping in July and spends her own cash to provide basic school supplies and decorations that she will need throughout the school year.
“I always go in thinking, what do we need to focus on and then I design my classroom around that. Some years I don’t need as many supplies," said Turner.
To run a successful first grade class, Turner knows that she needs to dig deep into her own pockets every school year.
“I start on amazon, make my amazon list and then this is kind of why I wait for July because Walmart starts putting out the back-to-school stuff and some of that you can get a lot cheaper," said Turner. "I feel like everything is a little pricier and there’s a lot that goes into creating a welcoming environment."
Between Amazon and Walmart, Turner spends nearly $2,000 each year, if you add that up with her years of experience, her total adds up to around $30,000-$35,000.
“There’s a lot of teachers this year that are doing Amazon wish list or GoFundMe or things like that and more so than I have ever seen before," said Turner. “They’re making those list because they’re having to choose, do I get my kids something or what am I not going to have for my students."
In addition to school supplies, teachers are also purchasing personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies for their classroom.
There are resources to help teachers with the cost of additional supplies. Some teachers say it is not enough.
According to the Colorado Education Association, the Educator Expense Deduction allows educators to claim up to $250 for unreimbursed supply costs.
A Colorado state bill was introduced and failed in 2022 (HB22-1126) that would have created a refundable state income tax credit for educators for classroom expenses. Since 2019, at least four other similar bills have been introduced. All have failed to make it to a full chamber vote.
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