Virginia’s new tax break for teachers buying school supplies won’t go far, union says. Bill’s sponsors say it’s a start.

Every year, as the summer winds down, Rickita Robinson starts to prepare for a new school year.

For Robinson, who teaches first grade at Richard Bowling Elementary School in Norfolk, this means buying about $200 worth of classroom supplies.

She stocks up on pencils, posters, charts, bulletin boards and notebooks — and plenty of snacks because her class has an early lunch slot and students get hungry again before the day ends.

“It doesn’t upset me because it’s just how I’ve been doing things for 30 years,” she said, adding she’s used to paying for supplies out of pocket. “I’m just numb to it.”

In the last week, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has signed several education-related bills into law, including one allowing a $500 tax deduction for educators who spend money on classroom supplies. Legislators who backed the measure touted it as a way to show support for teachers and other school employees. But others say the measure won’t offer meaningful relief.

Unlike a tax credit, which lets taxpayers directly subtract a given amount of money from the taxes they owe, a tax deduction reduces taxable income.

“While it sounds good to allow educators to deduct $500 for expenses, it would net the average educator less than $30 in actual tax savings,” James J. Fedderman, president of the Virginia Education Association, said in a statement. “This is nothing more than a political gimmick designed for a good soundbite.”

Sonja Lassiter, a special education teacher at Willoughby Early Childhood Center in Norfolk, said teachers do need support with their expenses.

A tax deduction will be helpful, she said, but an extra $30 in her bank account won’t go far.

Lassiter said she spends about $300 each year on learning supplies and other day-to-day necessities, like tissues, hand soap, wet wipes and spare diapers.

“We spend a lot of our own money,” she said. “I’m pretty sure a lot of people don’t know all that we do. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory of being a good teacher.”

Del. Karen Greenhalgh, who introduced the bill, told a House of Delegates subcommittee earlier this year that it was common for teachers, principals or school counselors to spend their own money on school supplies.

Even during the pandemic, she said she heard from teachers who were paying to mail supplies to students.

“I think we have a bipartisan agreement that we need to do more for our teachers,” said Greenhalgh, R-Virginia Beach.

But Del. Joe McNamara, a certified public accountant, agreed with Fedderman — a tax deduction of that size wouldn’t give educators any meaningful support.

“I don’t want to be patting myself on the back for doing great things for teachers when it’s (saving them) $12 or $25,” said McNamara, R-Roanoke.

In an interview Monday, Greenhalgh recognized that her bill will only offer a small amount of support. But she said it was better than nothing.

Greenhalgh said she plans to push for a tax credit in the next few years but thought it would be best to start with a tax deduction because it would be easier to get it passed.

Teachers throughout the state routinely spend hundreds of dollars each year and their financial sacrifices needed to be recognized by the General Assembly, she said.

“I do think it needs to be acknowledged even if it is only $25 or $30,” she said. “This is just a first step.”

A handful of other delegates from Hampton Roads co-sponsored the measure, including Democrat Kelly Convirs-Fowler and Republican Glenn Davis.

Davis, who chairs the House Education Committee, said he was proud legislators from both sides of the aisle came together to pass the bill.

“We can always increase it but to get the program initiated is the hard part,” he said. “If VEA considers this a political gimmick then it shows that they are out of tune with the needs of our teachers.”

Others education bills recently signed into law by Youngkin aim to improve infrastructure at K-12 schools. One bill will provide $400 million in school construction loans. Another will provide $450 million in grants to help schools with construction, expansion, or other renovation projects in partnership with local school boards.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com