Evening star., 1922-10-28
TEACHERS USE own
FUNDS IN SCHOOLS
No District Money Available
for Purchase of Aids to
Certain Lessons.
ONE SPENDS $50 YEARLY
Another Grew Dependent in Keep
ing Account and Decided to
Discard It.

When pubic School teacHer "a"sS
a box of crayons and blackboard
erasers she gets them after consid-
cradle delay. providing, OF course
that such supplies are in the store
house. But when she wants flowers,
pictures or other materials with
which to illustrate a certain lesson
she Is forced to dig into her own
ocketbook and buy them. with no
prospect of reimbursement. The
schools have no appropriation for
these supplies. although they are re-
garded as essential as paper, books,
pencils. pens. etc
AS a result, every year the teachers,
especially those in the kindergartens
and primary grades OF the elementary
schools, spend hundreds OF dollars OF
their personal funds for necessary
school supplies and decorations TO
make their classrooms attractive ana
Interesting to the child getting his
first experience with school life. The
teachers also spend varying sums for
seasonable parties for their pupils.
Money Out of Teachers' Purse.
Thefs1SSNUr~Tsscnoolroom IN the
District, perhaps. that does not con-
tain some personal property Of the
teacher in charge. 1t may be only
picture, a flag or a plant. but these
articles represent money that came
out Of the teachers pocketbook.
Occasionally a teacher can be found
who keeps an itemized account OF the
amount she spends for school sup
plies The great majority OF them
do not. and for this reason 1t is i'm
possible to obtain fair estimate OF
the amount of money the teachers
take from their salaries each year to
buy supplies for their classrooms.
One teacher. who has kept an account
Of her expenditures, says $50 year
is a minimum.
A kindergarten teacher in a large
school in the central northwest sec
tton Of the city was asked today how
much she had spent this year for
decorations and supplies for her class
room.
Il don't know exactly" she said.
"I started to keep an itemized ac-
count, but l became respondent every
time 1 looked at 1t. SO l destroyed
it."
She pointed to two fern boxes in
the room. .They are mine" she said.
They cost 81 apiece" She pointed
to other objects in the room. all of
which she had bought with her own
money. Among them was dollhouse
which cost SIS, flag and flagpole, cut
flowers, plants and at least dozen
pictures scattered about the walls.
That's small item" she con-
tinued Halloween will soon be here.
l have got to buy pumpkin, pictures
of witches and other Halloween deco
rations Then comes Thanksgiving
and Christmas and l will have to buy
little favors. besides on Christmas I
will have to give a party for the
children These Christmas parties
are customary and have been for
years and the children look forward
to them"
Must Have Attractive Room.
"I have got to have an attractive
room," she continued. But I cannot
do it unless 1 buy the decorations.
A week seldom passes that I do not
supplement school supplies with my
own money"
Besides being insufficient to furnish
the teachers with supplies and deco
rations. the appropriations granted by
Congress in the past have been so
inadequate that officials have not
been able to provide new textbooks
and other essential supplies for the
ever Increasing school population.
Consequently hundreds of insanitary.
obsolete and badly worn books are
now in use. while many children are
entirely without books. The paper
supply is short. as we'll as other sup
piles. and the officials have urged
school employees to practice utmost
economy in their use SO the present
limited supplies will last throughout
the remainder of the current scholas-
tic wear.