If body builders can deduct the cost of body oil from their income taxes, if brides can take a charitable deduction for their donated wedding dresses and if certain Native American tribes can deduct $10,000 a year for repairs on their whaling boat, and each of the above is apparently OK with the Internal Revenue Service, then raising the deduction for teachers on the out-of-pocket expenses they pay seems like a no-brainer.
That is what U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tennessee, is hoping with the bipartisan bill he introduced in the House along with U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Illinois.
Their bill would allow qualified educators to deduct from their taxes $1,000 — up from the current $300 — on certain out-of-pocket expenses. The Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act of 2023 also changes the words “elementary and secondary school educators” in the current law to “eligible educators” because staff members beyond teachers also reach into their pockets for expenses for students and schools.
Teachers in Hamilton County schools are now about a month into the 2023-2024 school year, and national statistics show each of them will spend an average of $860 over the year on classroom supplies.
That amount, according to Adoptaclassroom.org, is up from $600 in 2015 and $745 in 2020. The category where the largest percentage of teachers (84%) spent their money is basic school supplies (pencils, paper, notebooks). Following behind the basic supplies are books (55%), inclusive/adaptive materials (55%) and technology (44%).