October 2024

Tips for Tight Budget Classrooms

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Teachers Classroom Spending

Higher living costs and interest rates affect Australian schools, teachers, students, and families. Escalating education costs make it challenging for young people to obtain a quality education. Many schools are doing the best they can with limited resources and overstretched budgets.

Ellen Wengert, a graduate primary school teacher in 2020, explained that she (like many graduates) spent $700 or more on classroom supplies in preparation for Term 1. Some begin stockpiling stationery and other resources in their first year at university to minimise costs when starting out. Wengert fears that as prices rise, people will be discouraged from entering the profession at all. This is alarming given that teachers are already in short supply.

Financially investing in your career isn’t unique to teachers, but many educators ultimately do so for the good of students. Although it has been criticised as politically self-serving, the Australian Education Union’s nationwide State of Our Schools survey shows how much teachers spend on students. School principals, teachers, and support staff reported that in 2023, 85% of teachers at public schools paid for school-related expenses. The average amount educators spend is about $885 per year. Typically, primary school teachers pay more.

Top reasons for teacher spending in 2023 were that it’s the only way to effectively deliver lessons (44%) and that students would miss out if they didn’t (40%). Items purchased include textbooks, classroom equipment, library resources, and stationery. Add to this food (such as fruit baskets) for students in low socio-economic areas.

How School Budgets Work

You may be wondering “What about school budgets? Why not just rely on them?” The catch is that teachers wishing to spend school funds must abide by the following constraints and conditions:

• Limited Classroom Budgets: Although many schools offer starter kits of stationery packs and a small budget for supplies, not all do. Supplies and support offered vary between schools. In many cases, school budgets must be shared among all teachers, or each year group is allocated a budget. Sarah, a Year Two teacher from Perth, argues that budgets just don’t allow you to spend $1500 per class and that individual teachers must provide for their own classrooms.

• Shared Resources May Be Lost or Damaged: The reality is that students and teachers from other classes can lose, damage, or hog communal equipment and resources One anonymous teacher bought their own classroom vacuum with bike lock because of this.

• Basics like food for kids experiencing poverty aren’t catered for: Generally speaking, schools view providing educational equipment and resources as reasonable and necessary – unfortunately this doesn’t always stretch to food, unless as part of a free breakfast club outside class time. Eating well supports focus and helps regulate behavioural issues and emotions. It’s essential to academic success. You can’t learn without fuel to burn!

• No receipt, no reimbursement, and nothing second-hand: Most schools aren’t willing to reimburse items without receipts – so ditch ideas about buying craft supplies at garage sales or second-hand library books at half the price they charge in shops.

• Term 4 Budget Restrictions: Schools usually restrict use of budgets towards the end of Term 4. Institutions use this time to consolidate the year’s spending and plan for the next year’s expenses. Moral of the story – it’s simpler to pay for Christmas-themed costumes and end of year party supplies out of your own pocket or ask parents to contribute.

• School budgets can’t fund items that benefit employees as well as students: To prevent misuse, this must be so – but it means that you can’t buy extra staples that you can then use in your own staple gun for other tasks.

Budgets come with strings attached and that’s why educators may opt to spend their own money on school-related items.

Enthusiastic About Alternative Classroom Seating and Layouts? Get Creative with Budgets and Students!

But what if you are sold on the benefits of flexible, non-traditional classroom seating and layouts? How will you convince school leaders to give your classroom makeover the green light?

1. Research the benefits of alternative furniture and layouts for students, educators, and schools. Make a compelling case backed by evidence-based research. In your proposal, include the following:
   • Makes efficient use of space.
   • Gives students the opportunity to move around and increase physical fitness with standing desks, and different areas for different tasks and learning modes. When so much of our lives involves sitting down and staring at devices, this is a big plus.
   • Allows students freedom and choice regarding the environment they work in and the seating arrangement available.
   • Develops students critical thinking skills – overtime they will learn what seating arrangement and environment best suits the way they learn, the type of task they are doing, or the content they are accessing.
   • Personalises learning for students, leading to deep engagement with what is taught.
   • Accommodates group work/quiet spaces for introverts, facilities for students with disabilities and those with sensory needs.
   • Facilitates cross-disciplinary learning and the seamless use of digital technology in the classroom.
   • No more lifting bulky furniture as flexible, alternative options are usually light and can be carried by classroom users. Setups can be reconfigured quickly and easily to accommodate different tasks and learning styles.
2. Include estimated costs and examples of suppliers: Consider quality of workmanship, value for money, and working with suppliers who align with school values.
3. Get students excited about the design process and accommodate their feedback where possible: This may be what seals the deal for school leaders and convinces them of the project’s value. It’s also teaching students valuable lessons about planning and designing long-term projects which they can apply in other scenarios. Giving students a say in their learning environment fosters engagement, a sense of ownership, and community spirit.
   Want to find out more about furniture options and getting students involved in designing learning spaces? See the work of Dr. Kay Oddone cited in the bibliography.
4. Big ambitions don’t always entail significant costs: You can DIY with affordable seating from reputable brands like IKEA, Amazon, Spotlight, and Target. If you have more money to spend, opt for affordable custom-made furniture with reputable Australian furniture suppliers like OfficeLine or Beparta. The latter specialise in working with schools and meet the needs of individual schools, students, and teachers with furniture that won’t blow the budget. As designers, they seek client input at every stage.
   Think outside the box with regards to funding. Discuss your dreams with others on your team who may be able to offer funding. For example, Dr. Kay Oddone applied for a $2000 grant to make her alternative furniture dreams come true. She didn’t get it, but that didn’t mean her vision was shelved. Her school principal knew she was passionate about the project and agreed to give her a $500 budget. He had to order new tables for classrooms anyway, so Oddone and the principal agreed that another colleague could have her tables and she would get $500 for her proposed classroom makeover. She adjusted her ideas to fit the reduced budget and came up with innovative classroom seating and layouts that worked for her and her students.

DIY Teacher Solutions Which Save Time, Money, and Resources

In a world of funding and budget constraints, necessity is the mother of invention. Check out three DIY solutions which caught my eye:

1. Colour-coded craft paper/materials storage: Art teachers know that one of the best things about hands-on craft projects is they are messy. What to do with all the paper, fabric, and pipe cleaner scraps littering the floor after making Medusa’s head? Why not store those scraps according to colour, material, and pattern for reuse? All you need is lockable $10 Kmart tiered storage boxes that can hold litres of paper and fabric. This also teaches kids to turn trash into treasure and aligns with learning about sustainability and reducing waste. Lead by example with this clever trick from Year 4 teacher Lauren.
2. $7 Kmart contraction and multiplication building blocks: This is a nifty teaching tool from Year 1 teacher, Marie, which is perfect for hands-on learning. It’s great for teaching contractions and multiplication. Break down the contraction in “That’ll be the day” for your students or demonstrate that 40 + 8 units = 48 or that 4 x 10 + 8 units = 48. The colourful building blocks are easy for students to manipulate. Remove black marker writing on the blocks with acetone and reuse them again and again!
3. Popsicle reading and talking sticks: Do you and/or your kids love popsicles? Don’t throw popsicle sticks in the bin! Turn them into reading and talking sticks. Primary school teacher Tam uses these colourful painted sticks to encourage students to answer questions during in-class assessments. Tam suggests decorating and naming talking sticks with students’ names. Then choose that stick from a cup full of talking sticks when you want a particular student to answer questions.

You can also use them as reading sticks. Encourage your class to check their own work by placing the stick under each word. This makes it easier to spot mistakes and helps young students create finger space between words when writing. Getting pupils to personalise their own talking and reading sticks is a fun craft activity for everyone.

Don’t let the budget blues get you down. Be creative and flexible with funding, ideas, and get students involved in great classroom projects

Bibliography

“About Us – Modern Teaching Aids, helping educators to make the difference for over 65 years.” Modern Teaching Aids [MTA]. Accessed 6 September 2024.

“Dr Kay Oddone.” Libraries Research Group Blog at Charles Sturt University. Charles Sturt University. Accessed 6 September 2024.

“Introducing Beparta.” Beparta. Accessed 6 September 2024.

“Nine in ten public school teachers use own money for student supplies: survey.” New South Wales Teachers Federation. 26 October 2018.

“Perth teacher on spending $1500 to set up her classroom for 2020.” ABC Listen. ABC Radio Perth Breakfast. 24 January 2020.

“Teachers pay for own classroom supplies.” SBSNews. Australian Associated Press [AAP]. 2 April 2017.

Anonymous. “'I'm a teacher buying school supplies for kids who can't afford them. It's crippling me.'” Mamamia. 30 January 2024.

Bartlett, Myke. “Australian teachers have higher workloads, fewer resources: OECD report.” Australian Education Union Victorian Branch. 24 May 2023.

Easton, Gemma. “The real cost of teaching.” SchoolNews Australia. 9 June 2023.

Halliday, Claire. “Parents face back-to-school supplies cost blow-out.” Education Daily. 19 January 2024.

Mann, Justin. “4 Classroom Makeover Tricks That Any Teacher Can Do!” Showbie. 10 August 2014.

Oddone, Kay. “Re-imagining Learning Spaces to inspire contemporary learning – Part One: Models for Change.” Linking Learning - The Professional Portfolio of Kay Oddone. Accessed 6 September 2024.

Oddone, Kay. “Re-imagining Learning Spaces to inspire contemporary learning – Part Two – Creating your space on a budget.” Linking Learning - The Professional Portfolio of Kay Oddone. Accessed 6 September 2024.

Oddone, Kay. “Learning- it’s all in the connections.“ Linking Learning - The Professional Portfolio of Kay Oddone. Posted 29 January 2016.

Oddone, Kay. “Getting Started.” Surfing the Alternative Seating Wave Blog. Posted 24 August 2014.

Oddone, Kay. “On a Mission.” Surfing the Alternative Seating Wave Blog. Posted 24 August 2014.

Oddone, Kay. “Crazy Idea.” Surfing the Alternative Seating Wave Blog. Posted 24 August 2014.

Power, Rachel. “Most public school teachers spend own money on resources.”  Australian Education Union Victorian Branch. 28 September 2020.  

Sanderson, Kelly. “8 Kids Craft Projects From Recycled Materials.” DIY Thought. 10 June 2019.

School News. “Teachers spending their own money on school resources.” SchoolNews Australia. 19 September 2023.

Smith, Alison. “25 Kmart Hacks for the Classroom (From Teachers Who Dreamt Them Up!).” TeachStarter Blog. 2023.

Trewarn, Alby. “The Benefits of Using Flexible Seating in Classrooms.” Office Line – Creative & Functional Spaces Blog. 16 September 2019. 

Wengert, Ellen. “I haven't even started teaching yet, but it's already cost me $700 — and I'm not alone.“ ABC News. 24 January 2020.

Author
Estelle Borrey
PhD in European Languages and Cultures.