GOP says teachers should get tax credits
Bill aimed at instructors who use own money for school supplies
With the school year underway, Republican members of the state assembly are pushing for legislation to help teachers who have to dip into their own pockets to pay for classroom supplies.
Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis (R-C-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) is among the GOP lawmakers calling on the state to help teachers.
Under the bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Phil Palmesano (R-C-Corning), the state would provide up to $500 in annual tax credits for teachers who use their personal funds to pay for teaching supplies that benefit students.
The average U.S. teacher spends nearly $1,000 of his or her own money each year on basic classroom supplies to help students whose families can’t afford to purchase notebooks, pens and other necessities, according to the National School Supply and Equipment Association, an organization based on Silver Spring, Maryland, that organizes trade shows and other events.