Teachers give all year. They give their time and talent, and their own money. According to recent , teachers spend, on average, $745 each year on school supplies. Typically, teachers鈥� selfless spending at the beginning of the school year gets the most attention. But that鈥檚 not the only time teachers are shelling out cash from their personal stash for students.
The December holidays finds many teachers dipping into their personal bank accounts to provide gifts for their students.
And while employee holiday bonuses doled out by some schools or districts generally outweigh what teachers spend on their students this time of year, the padded holiday paychecks don鈥檛 necessarily compensate for year-round salary woes that, according to Education Week research, rank as a top reason why teachers consider leaving the profession.
Spending on students
Salary woes notwithstanding, some teachers shared with Education Week how they spend to make their students鈥� holidays a little more special.
Jessica Saum, an elementary special education teacher in the Cabot school district in Arkansas and the state鈥檚 2022 Teacher of the Year, spends up to $150 during the holidays on her students鈥攂etween $7 and $10 on each student. She stuffs stockings with a book; a small educational manipulative or toy; and filler items like candy, crayons, and pencils plus a small coloring or activity book. She also creates personalized mugs for 鈥淧olar Express Day鈥� hot chocolate. And, as part of her lesson on 鈥渉olidays around the world,鈥� the former resident of Germany fills students鈥� decorated boots with treats in honor of that country鈥檚 tradition of celebrating Saint Nicholas Day.
Former elementary school teacher Cassandra Williams recounts spending upwards of $50 on student gifts during the holidays, and a total closer to $200 that included gifts for room parents, the principal, and colleagues. In a Linkedin on the topic, she wrote: 鈥淥verall, it鈥檚 fun, exciting, and a joy to receive fun items but it can be a financial burden.鈥�
Holiday bonuses lessen, but don鈥檛 alleviate, teachers鈥� load
Though annual employee holiday bonuses are not standard fare in every school or district, December is a popular time to distribute them. This year, Maryland鈥檚 Anne Arundel County schools is recognizing its employees with a holiday bonus. Last month, Superintendent Mark Bedell a $1,000 鈥渆mployee appreciation bonus鈥� for all permanent staff to be distributed in December.
In a letter to staff, Bedell wrote: 鈥淣o school system can be great without great people. As I have said before, the work you are doing in the face of some stiff challenges is incredible. No matter your role in our school system, our students benefit every day from your dedication and passion. Please don鈥檛 ever forget that.鈥�
The district鈥檚 employees are even less likely to forget the additional burdens they鈥檝e borne as a result of systemwide vacancies.
As of Dec. 14, the district had 196 vacancies. In response, teachers have been covering classes or adding students to their classrooms, a procedure known as absorption, according to Nicole Disney-Bates, the president of the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County. Savings accrued from those vacancies paid for this year鈥檚 employee bonuses, according to a district .
In an email to Education Week, Disney-Bates wrote: 鈥淭he bonus was unexpected from [the district]. We are appreciative of the thanks that the bonus shows our teachers and related service providers. We look forward to continuing to work with [the district] to make our salary competitive to our neighboring counties. We believe that a COLA [cost of living adjustment] that keeps up with inflation will be one way to improve our competitiveness among the central counties.鈥�
has acknowledged the lagging salaries鈥攔eferring to them as 鈥渆mbarrassing compensation gaps鈥� between Anne Arundel鈥檚 employees compared to those in neighboring jurisdictions. Earlier this month, he recommended to the Board of Education that more than $80 million go toward raising pay for all staff in his proposed budget for the next fiscal year.
鈥淲e need competitive pay for our teachers,鈥� Bedell told the board in his budget address. 鈥淲e also need competitive pay for bus drivers, custodians, maintenance employees, secretaries, food service workers, and all of the employees who work in this school system.鈥�
The superintendent鈥檚 message is timely. Teacher pay nationwide has steadily decreased over the past decade.
In 2020-21, teachers鈥� average starting salary was $41,770, a 4 percent decrease over the prior academic year when adjusted for inflation, according to the . Similarly, the NEA reports that, after adjusting for inflation, teachers currently earn on average $2,150 less than they did a decade ago.
