Rewarding our teachers

by U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, 6th district

When I was in school, going above and beyond what the assignment required usually earned the student extra credit. In Washington though, teachers who spend their hard-earned money on supplies or rewards for their students get no extra credit. I don’t think that sends the right message.

In Missouri, many of our dedicated teachers purchase additional materials for their classrooms out of their own pocket. Regardless of the reason, it shows that these teachers want the very best for their students. I think we should reward this behavior from our teachers by giving them a break on their taxes for those purchases.

I am introducing legislation this week that rewards those teachers who purchase classroom supplies at their own expense. The current teacher tax deduction is limited at $250 for an above the line tax deduction. I want to expand that amount to $500.

It also creates a new break of $250 for part-time teachers. Many of our schools count on these teachers to provide the extra help they need to educate students. The deduction would apply for teachers who work more than 100 hours in a school year, but less than 900.

Current law would end the deduction after this year. My bill would extend this deduction to 2015. It would also include pre-school teachers.

Teachers want the very best for their students. They will gladly give a little extra for their students when they think those supplies will make a difference. It makes sense to me to reward their passion.