NJ Teachers Who Buy Own Supplies Need Larger Tax Break, Lawmakers Say

NEW JERSEY — It’s no secret that a lot of teachers in New Jersey are reaching deep into their own pockets to buy school supplies. And it’s time to put some of that cash back into their bank accounts, the state’s two U.S. senators say.

On Thursday, Bob Menendez and Cory Booker announced their support for the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act of 2022.

The proposed federal law would quadruple the amount educators can deduct from their taxes for out-of-pocket classroom expenses from $250 to $1,000 per teacher, and continue to index it to inflation. Any teacher, instructor, counselor, principal or aide who works at least 900 hours during a school year would be eligible.

A Congressional Budget Office cost estimate for the bill wasn't available as of Thursday.

“We know how hard our teachers work to ensure that New Jersey children receive the best education possible,” Menendez said. “I hear it all the time when I speak with teachers across our state about how they go above and beyond to provide resources and materials for their students – often times spending thousands of dollars of their own money each year.”

“All of those expenses add up and this legislation will help put some of their hard-earned money back in their pockets,” the senator said.

As recently as 2019, New Jersey’s K-12 teachers were spending an average of $412 from their own salaries every year to buy school supplies for their classrooms. The figure doesn’t include the dollars teachers spent, but were reimbursed for by their school districts. The national average came to $459 that year, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

During the coronavirus crisis, some teachers found themselves suddenly paying out-of-pocket for sanitizing wipes, cleaning products and other pandemic-related items – adding to an already heavy burden, the nonprofit said.

“Teachers across the nation often have to dip into their own pockets to purchase vital educational resources used in the classroom to help our children learn,” Booker said. “Through a simple change in the tax code, we can ensure that our educators receive some of the hard-earned money they spend back during tax season.”

Joining Menendez and Booker in introducing the legislation were Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). House cosponsors include Reps. Anthony Brown (M.D.-04), Colin Allred (Texas-32), Karen Bass (Calif.-37), Susan Bonamici (Ore.-01), Shontel Brown (Ohio-11), André Carson (Ind.-07), Sean Casten (Ill.-06), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (Fla.-20), Jahana Hayes (Conn.-05), Jim Langevin (R.I.-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.-AL), Jimmy Panetta (Calif.-20), Katie Porter (Calif.-45), Jamie Raskin (Md.-08), Darren Soto (Fla.-09), Tom Suozzi (N.Y.-03), Bennie Thompson (Miss.-02) Juan Vargas (Calif.-51) and Frederica Wilson (Fla.-24).

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This article originally appeared on the Montclair Patch