Should a firefighter have to personally pay for the water they use to subdue a fire? Should a librarian have to use their paycheck to purchase books that the public can borrow?
Of course not.
Then why do we expect teachers to pay for the school supplies necessary to provide an education to our children?
Ninety-four percent of public school teachers dig into their own pockets to pay for classroom supplies without reimbursement, such as paper, markers, glue, snacks for students, cleaning supplies, hand soap for bathrooms, books, and more to ensure functional, comfortable and resource-filled learning environments.
It shouldn’t be partisan to provide a strong education for our children. That’s why I’m proud to team up with my colleague from the other side of the aisle, Republican Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee, on a bill that hits close to home for both of us.
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Rep. Burchett and I are the sons of teachers. Both of our moms worked hard every day to support their students’ growth. We know firsthand that classroom educators should not be expected to pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars out of their own wallets to provide the supplies necessary to educate their classes.
So we came together and figured out a way to help. We introduced the bipartisan Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act of 2023. This legislation increases the amount educators, including counselors, aides, and other K-12 support staff, can deduct on qualified out-of-pocket classroom expenses on their annual tax return from $250 to $1,000 and keeps the maximum deduction indexed to inflation. Expecting teachers to personally pay for basic classroom supplies is an unnecessary barrier and should not be an additional hurdle.
This bill is a start, but we can all agree we need to do better. Teachers have endured more than their fair share of hardships in recent years, from transitioning to online learning in 2020 to facing post-pandemic teacher shortages. In Illinois alone, 77% of schools say they have fewer teachers than what’s needed.
This bill makes a meaningful change to demonstrate the importance of our nation’s educators and recognize the personal sacrifices they make to ensure our students have the resources to learn.
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill.
‘Love is’ space travel
I’m a longtime Sun-Times subscriber. The first thing I always read is the “Love is” comic strip in the classified section. Friday, the caption said, “You and me in our space.”
When you see the drawing, it is very heartwarming. A minute later, I turned the page, and I immediately saw an almost full-page obituary for Frank Borman, the astronaut. I thought, “The only day in the past 10 years of seeing the word ‘space’ in the ‘Love is’ comic strip — I turn the page and there is a huge article about a hero traveling in space around the moon and back.”
Now, if I watch the “Honeymooners” Sunday on MeTV and the episode is Ed Norton as “The Man From Space,” I will have a huge smile on my face.
Steven Cooper, La Grange Park
