By Shelley Kofler, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-619819.mp3
Dallas, TX – As Kanaka Opegbemi pushes a cart down the aisle of a discount store, she shops for her third grade daughter's back-to-school clothing and classroom supplies. The school has given her a long list to purchase.
Opegbemi: "We have two boxes of facial tissue, one box of 12 x 18 white construction paper, one zipper supply bag, a notebook "
Today, Kanaka, a private security officer, will spend about $100 for class materials needed immediately; another $150 for replacement supplies throughout the year; about $200 for school clothes.
Opegbemi: Almost $500 dollars.
Reporter: Is that a lot of money?
Opegbemi: Yes it is. I do school supplies first and clothes second and food in between (laughs).
Reporter: Do you think the school district should supply the resources for the kids? Yes, I do.
Many districts work with private organizations to provide supplies for low-income children, but parents like Kanaka often earn too much to qualify.
And when children begin school without the pencils, paper, and notebooks they need, it's their teachers who often fill the gaps.
Beyond supplies for children who arrive unprepared, sixth grade math teacher Tom Roussin spends out-of-pocket to equip his class.
Roussin: Flash cards, manipulatives, things I've put together over the years, erasers for dry erase boards....
The Dallas district gives him $250 for that. It's more than many districts provide. But after 17 years of teaching Roussin knows he'll contribute extra. An additional $300 to $400. One year he spent around a thousand dollars for his science students.
Roussin: Isn't that a lot for a teacher oh yeah. Are these frills or necessities? Sometimes they're frills cause you're rewarding kids which you don't always have to do. Other times it's necessities if you are buying materials for an experiment it's a necessity.
A survey conducted last year by Sam Houston University found the average Texas teacher annually spends $552 out of pocket. That's more than the salary increase the state provided this year.
In 2003 the state legislature set up a fund to reimburse teachers for some of their expenses, but the Texas Education Agency says so far this year there's no money in it.
State Representative Dan Branch of Dallas sits on the House Public Education committee.
Branch: I would hope our teachers would not go out of pocket
But when asked if the legislature should do more, Branch, says state lawmakers increased school funding last year. Now it's up to the districts to prioritize spending.
Branch: That's the sort of thing where a teacher should be negotiating with a department head or an assistant principal and try to get those expenses covered
Teacher Tom Roussin says he's never felt comfortable doing that.
Roussin: Ideally schools would be equipped with every piece of equipment they need realistically it doesn't happen.
So Roussin and parents like Kanaka Opegbemi dig deep into their pockets to equip children with supplies additional school funding could provide.
Roussin: You do things for the kids, and that's what it's about.