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 60%
of Teachers Will Spend $250 to $750 of Their Own Money
MIRS, June 13, 2005
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While the state
spends in excess of $11 billion each year to educate the state's
1.5 million school children, a survey of Michigan teachers today
found that 62 percent of teachers expect to spend between $250
and $750 of their own money on classroom supplies or materials —
most report they'll spend more than they did four years ago.
"Schools have to do a better job of conveying to legislators
what is happening in the classroom," said Ed SARPOLUS, vice
president of EPIC/MRA, the Lansing-based polling firm that
conducted the survey, who noted Michigan teachers will spend
some $47 million of their own money on classroom supplies.
EPIC/MRA conducted the survey as a special poll for their
monthly newsletter. A complete copy of the questions and results
can be seen on MIRS' web site under the Pollster's Corner
section.
The questionnaire was circulated to teachers and included
responses from 1,016 teachers. Conducted between May 1 and May
25, the survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1
percent.
According to Sarpolus, the survey also shows the impact that the
state's fiscal crisis of the last four years has had. In one
question, the teachers were asked "How well is your classroom
equipped and supplied this year, compared to four years ago — is
it better equipped and supplied, or worse equipped and supplied?
In response, 44 percent of teachers at all levels said their
classroom was not equipped as well as it was before the state's
funding hit the skids. Some 23 percent said their classroom
equipment picture had improved and 27 percent said they weren't
teaching four years ago, so they couldn't say.
Elementary school teachers seemed to fare the worst on the
equipment picture with 46 percent saying the situation has
gotten worse over the past four years. Among high school
teachers, 43 percent said their equipment situation has
worsened.
On individual spending, 67 percent of all teachers report
spending more of their own money on student needs and classroom
supplies than was the case some four years ago. On how much they
expect to spend, a whopping 16 percent of teachers said they
expect to spend over $1,000 this year on supplies.
So what are the teachers buying? Among the list are:
- 24 percent say they'll buy supplemental supplies
- 19 percent say they'll be buying student books
- 10 percent indicate they'll be buying art supplies
- 10 percent said they'll be buying paper or copying services
- Seven percent said they'll be buying computers/computer
supplies
- Seven percent report they'll purchase resource material
- Six percent will be providing food
A total of 78 percent of all teachers report that the supply
budget for their course, or class, is smaller than it was four
years ago. Only 4 percent of all teachers said they have more to
spend on supplies.
The materials in the classroom are also growing out-of-date,
presumably due to budget cutbacks. When asked "Your classroom
textbooks and teaching materials are more up-to-date or
less-up-to-date then they were four years ago? A total of 46
percent said materials and textbooks were less up-to-date.
Twenty-eight percent said their materials were more up-to-date.
Some 42 percent of teachers said their computers and technology
in the classroom are more up-to-date, while 42 percent said they
were less up-to-date. On top of less up-to-date materials, some
61 percent of teachers report that the size of their classes has
increases over the last four years.
Other findings of the survey:
- 74 percent say the number of field trips has gone down
- 48 percent said their school has less extracurricular and/or
after-school activities than four years ago.
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