A public hearing was held Monday on a bill that would reimburse teachers for purchasing classroom supplies. Senator Jason Prokop introduced LB 282. “It would create up to a $300 reimbursement for teachers to receive for spending money out of their own pockets to really support their students.”
Prokop says the $300 annual reimbursement applies to public and private teachers. He says his bill seeks to alleviate the burden many teachers face in purchasing these supplies. “A study that was done showed that on average teachers expend about $860 out of their own pockets every school year to pay for those type of supplies.”
He says during the public hearing there were teachers who said they spent more than that. Prokop says the State Board of Education would create a list of approved items that teachers would be able to be reimbursed for.
The board would also create a process for being able to claim those reimbursements.