Michigan teachers spend more out-of-pocket on school supplies than their counterparts in any other state, except for California.
Data analyzed by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a liberal Washington, D.C. think tank, show Michigan teachers shell out an average of $628 of their own money on classroom supplies every year. That’s almost $200 more than the national average of $459.
In California, teachers spend $664 per year. Looking at educator spending in other Great Lakes states, Ohio is $444, Indiana is $462, Wisconsin is $380 and Illinois is $439.
EPI said that state-by-state spending differences “are likely due to a combination of factors, including students’ needs, how schools are funded in the state [and] the cost of living in the state.”
More than nine out of 10 teachers nationwide will not be reimbursed for what they spend on supplies over the school year, according to survey data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Teachers in high-poverty schools are spending more of their own money on school supplies than their counterparts in low-poverty schools, according to EPI data.
