Teachers spend on average $885 of their own money on students every year, survey finds

Teachers are spending hundreds of dollars of their own money every year to give their pupils a better education. See what they’re buying and why.

EXCLUSIVE: Teachers are spending hundreds of dollars of their own money buying basic classroom equipment such as text books and pencils for their pupils.

An exclusive national survey of 7000 public school staff found 85 per cent spend on average $885 a year on students.

Those in NSW, NT and WA spend the most, on average well over $1000.

Four in 10 said they dip into their own pockets because it is the only way to deliver a lesson and that students would miss out if they didn’t.

It comes as the latest Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Education at a Glance report shows Australia spends only 1.5 per cent of its total government expenditure on upper secondary school education, 28.6 per cent lower than the OECD average of 2.1 per cent.

Bek Fewkes from Point Lonsdale, Victoria, spent $1500 in the last financial year, mainly on text books and pens, pencils. Teachers spend on average $885 on their pupils every year just to ensure they have the basic equipment needed. Picture: Alan Barber

Primary school teacher Bek Fewkes from Victoria said in the last financial year she spent around $1500 of her own money on textbooks, pens and pencils, emergency food for when children forget their lunch and sanitary supplies, as well as professional development courses.

“It’s getting harder and harder to find the money for things we need,” Ms Fewkes, who has been a teacher for 21 years, said.

She often postpones buying books for herself, because she is spending her spare cash on books for her kids.

She said it’s like the TV show Shark Tank in some schools, with teachers pitching against each other for resources.

Townsville teacher Michael Beale has previously spent up to $12,000 of his own money a year on resources for students. Picture: Supplied

Meanwhile, Queensland teacher Michael Beale spent $5100 last year on resources for his pupils, but in previous years has spent up to $12,000.

He said limits on basics such as pens and photocopying use were impossible to meet.

“We struggle to even get a box of tissues,” he said.

He spent $3840 on resources for pupils and the rest on professional development and memberships.

While he claims the receipts on his tax return, he only gets a fraction back.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) survey found teachers mainly bought stationery, classroom equipment, library resources and textbooks.

AEU federal president Correna Haythorpe said the spending reflected the fact that only 1.3 per cent of public schools are resourced at the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) – the minimum amount governments agreed a decade ago is required to meet the needs of every child.

She said seven in 10 public school principals have also undertaken fundraising in the last year, with classroom equipment being the top thing the money is used for.

“The fact that teachers and principals are running sausage sizzles to pay for the basics is a sad reflection on the current priorities of governments in this country,” Ms Haythorpe said.

Minister for Education Jason Clare said “funding is important, but so is what it does”.

“That means tying funding to the sorts of things that will really help children falling behind to catch up, keep up and finish school,” he said.

The Review into a Better and Fairer Education System will recommend what the government will tie funding to in the next National Schools Reform Agreement.