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TEACHERS in the New England region are spending up to $2000 a year on basic school supplies for their students.
In response to a survey of more than 10,000 teachers in Australian schools; local education advocates said teachers are sacrificing money from their own salaries for their students.
The Australian Education Union survey found 95 per cent of teachers spent their own money on school supplies. It also exposed the reliance of schools on fundraising proceeds for necessities.
New England P&C Chairwoman Rachael Sowden said it was not uncommon for teachers in the New England region to spend thousands of dollars each year on “must have” items.
She said parents were also asked to send their kids to school with items including tissues and hand wash.
“Parents are putting their hands in their pockets for toilet paper and hand sanitiser,” Ms Sowden said.
“Kids definitely as young as kindergarten and even preschool have a list of things they are asked to bring in. Yes, we are a user-pays society; but the basics should be there.
“Ensuring that hand wash, toilet paper and tissues are there really isn’t much to ask.
“It’s something that most workplaces can go to a stationery cupboard and get, but this is not necessarily the case for some schools.”
Mrs Sowden said P&C fundraisers were no longer an avenue to buy luxury items for some schools but instead a means of raising money for important staple items in the classroom.
“There are some schools that miss out,” she said. “If they do have a fundraiser, they’re not raising money for something exciting like a covered outdoor learning area (COLA); it might be for textbooks for classrooms.”
“Fundraisers are meant to be the sugar on top (of funding).
“Some teachers put something extra in their trolley every week for their classrooms to make sure the class has got what they need; whether it’s a packet of pens or something else.”
NSW Teachers Federation acting regional organiser Tim Denaher confirmed teachers were spending their own money on school basics.
“The fact that parents and teachers alike are having to dip into their own pockets, is due to the inequitable funding model that has been in place over the last three decades,” he said.
“The fact that teachers are contributing to essentials highlights the fact that our schools are not getting the support and resources they need and what our kids deserve.”
The Australian Education Union has labelled the issue “unacceptable” and has called for action on school funding.
The union said when it came to fundraising, the survey found 83 per cent of public schools used fundraising to add to their budgets.
About 50 per cent of schools used fundraising proceeds for computer software while 45 per cent put their money towards sport equipment. While some teachers said fundraising proceeds were used for library resources, textbooks, or basic maintenance.
AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said reliance on fundraising and teacher contributions showed public schools were not getting the support they needed. “Teachers and principals should be spending all their time on the education of their students, not working out how many barbecues they need to organise and run to pay for a literacy and numeracy program,” she said.
The Department of Education and Communities declined to comment on the survey results.