Although California law prohibits schools from requiring parents to pay for or provide school supplies, classroom donation requests and school supply lists — for items such as copy paper, dry-erase markers, pencils, glue sticks and wipes, remain common. Teachers often send home a list of suggested items and frequently spend their own money on supplies. Steve Hilton, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, recently made the practice a campaign issue. “If the school requires it, the school provides it,” he says.
The average amount California teachers spend each year on school supplies, according to Adopt-A-Classroom’s 2024-25 survey.
The median amount schools nationwide provide teachers for school supplies. 97% of teachers surveyed said their school-provided budget did not cover their total spending.
U.S. teachers’ out-of-pocket spending has increased 49% since 2015, rising from $600 to $895 a year, according to a 2024-25 survey by Adopt-A-Classroom.
The amount that gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton proposes giving each California teacher annually for classroom supplies.
Hilton proposes banning school staff from asking parents to send classroom supplies to school with their children.
“California spends nearly $28,000 per public-school student,” Hilton says on his website. “Yet, every year, parents are sent shopping lists for pencils, notebooks, paper, folders, glue sticks and other basic classroom supplies.”
Under Hilton’s proposal, each teacher would receive a $1,000 “Classroom Basic Account” to purchase supplies for students. The funding would come from the California Lottery. In 2024-25, the California Lottery generated nearly $8.93 billion in sales, with 20.6% allocated to education. Hilton proposes increasing the share allocated to education to 25%.
Data source: Adopt-A-Classroom 2024-25 survey.
This story was originally published by EdSource.