The Senate today agreed to include funding for Senator Susan Collins’ teacher tax credit proposal in its Fiscal Year 2008 Budget proposal. The teacher tax credit provides relief to teachers who spend their own money on school supplies. Senator Collins’ amendment to the budget proposal would provide the funding needed to raise the teacher tax credit to $400, expand the credit to include professional development expenses, and make the tax credit permanent. Senator Collins is the author of the original teacher tax credit law that currently allows teachers to deduct up to $250 per year and must be reauthorized every year.
“In most states, including Maine, teachers are very modestly paid for their jobs, and I think it is so impressive that despite challenging jobs and modest salaries, teachers are willing to dig deep into their own pockets to enrich the classroom experience because they care so deeply for their students,” said Senator Collins in a floor speech today. “Teachers who buy classroom supplies in order to improve the educational experience for their students deserve more than just our gratitude. They deserve this modest tax incentive to thank them for their hard work.”
The National Education Association (NEA) today sent a letter to Senators urging them to support Senator Collins’ teacher tax credit legislation. “Studies show that teachers are spending more of their own funds each year to supply their classrooms, including purchasing essential items such as pencils, glue, scissors, and facial tissues,” wrote the NEA. “Increasing, expanding, and making the deduction permanent will acknowledge the sacrifices made by those who have dedicated their lives to educating our children and will alleviate the uncertainty they face as they wait each year to see if the deduction will be extended.”
The National School Supply and Equipment Association found that educators spend an average of $826 to supplement classroom supplies and $926 for instructional materials – a total of $1752 out of their own pockets. This does not include money that teachers spent on their own professional development.
“One of the best ways for teachers to improve their qualifications is through professional development. Yet in towns in my state and throughout the country school budgets are often very tight and money for professional development is either very small or nonexistent. So we should allow this tax deduction to also apply when a teacher takes a course or attends a workshop and has to pay for it out of his or her own pocket,” said Senator Collins. “In my view, it is the students who are the ultimate beneficiaries.”