Abbeville Senator Bob Hensgens has pre-filed a bill for the legislative session that begins in April that would give teachers a 250 dollar tax deduction for buying school supplies, reviving a temporary deduction that expired in 2008. Hensgens says a similar bill failed two years ago, but is bringing the legislation back after reading a report on teacher spending.
“I saw a national study recently that shows teachers spent 1.6 billion dollars out of their own pockets for supplies, and it just seems to me that this is the kind of spending that we should encourage.”
The deduction would apply to anyone who is employed as a teacher or aid in a qualified school, and works 15 hours a week on average.
Advocates have noted that teaching is one of the few professionals where the employee, not employer is on the hook for supply costs. Hensgens says there’s been some movement to address the substantial costs of supplies, but not enough.
“Some school boards now will pay them for 150 dollars worth of supplies. They spend over 500 and 600 dollars a year for supplies that they have to have to get their jobs done.”
Current law provides for deductions for legal guardians and parents who shell out for school supplies for their kids.
The Vermillion Parish Republican says he hopes passing the legislation will help inspire more school districts, if they have the money, to help teachers foot the bill for mandatory supplies.
“Do we need to give the teachers an incentive to do it themselves? I think it is a district by district decision, if they can afford it, if they can do more. I wish more of them did do more.
