A teacher’s salary is low, especially when compared to the amount of work and energy that goes into teaching. Additionally, unlike jobs such as nursing or sales, many teachers have to pay for their own additional supplies leading to a rather unfair situation. 

According to the South Dakota Department of Education, the baseline salary for a teacher in the Sioux Falls School District, SFSD, for the 2023-24 school year was $46,000, and the average salary for someone living in the Sioux Falls area was around $60,000. While the SFSD pays for the basics and some additional classroom supplies, the cost to cover many of the wide variety of additional necessary supplies falls to the educator.

From lab chemicals and writing utensils to tissues and candy, LHS teachers purchase a wide assortment of items for their classrooms. There is one commonality between these supplies, that they all cost money. Annually, 38.9% of LHS teachers reported spending less than $100 on supplies, yet 11.1% said that they spend more than $500 a year. While some of these disparities may be chalked up to the cost of the items being purchased (extra Chromebook chargers compared to colored construction paper), the fact remains that many of these costs come directly out of the teacher’s pocket. Combined with the fact that teachers have low salaries, to begin with, the extra supplies that they have to buy may add unnecessary financial burden. 

Not only do teachers spend a wide range of money on their extra supplies, but they also purchase a large variety of items. In a survey, 19 teachers reported purchasing a total of 26 individual items for their classrooms. The most commonly bought supplies are Kleenex, with six teachers reporting purchasing them (31.6%), snacks (31.6%), classroom decorations (26.3%) and pencils (21.1%). Additionally, 20% of LHS teachers surveyed said that their most-used classroom supply is Kleenex, and 25% said that Kleenex is the item that they spend the most money on. 

To conclude, the cost of being an educator is expensive, yet their salaries remain low. Whether the solution to this issue is raising salaries or something else that remains to be seen, one small fact remains: purchasing a box of tissues for a teacher’s classroom is an easy way to help out.