How Indiana teachers, schools are looking to fill gaps for students before the start of the new year

As the clock counts down to the first day of school, it’s not just students and parents doing back to school shopping. Teachers are, too. And they’re spending a lot of their own money.

Studies show teachers, on average, spend well into the hundreds of dollars every year on school supplies for their students.

“I think people have an assumption that a teacher walks into a classroom and it's going to be sparkling clean and fully loaded with all the scissors and pencils and so on,” said Margaret Sheehan. “But those days are gone.”

Sheehan is executive director of Teachers’ Treasures, a nonprofit teacher store stocked with supplies that have been donated or purchased with support from the community. For a $30 access fee, teachers can shop there each year. Some districts pay that fee so teachers like Amanda Long don’t have to pay a dime.

“This means I have more than I can invest in my family,” said Long. “I can do my job well and still be there not having to make choices about where my hard-earned money goes.”