Teachers who spend their own money to purchase school supplies would qualify for a tax credit to help offset such out-of-pocket expenses under a bill advanced Thursday by a Senate committee.
Almost half of teachers surveyed said they spend $250 to $500 a year on additional supplies for their students, according to the Hawaii State Teachers Association.
Many spend $1,000 or more, the union reports.
Senate Bill 2484 would allow Hawaii schoolteachers, librarians and counselors to claim a $500 state tax credit for books, computer equipment and other supplementary materials purchased for classrooms.
A $250 federal tax deduction that had been offered since 2002 expired at the end of last year.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved the bipartisan measure, introduced by 18 of the state’s 25 senators.
State analysts say it would cost an estimated $8 million to offer the credit, said committee chairman David Ige (D, Aiea-Pearl City).
The finance committee, in passing the proposal, used the same testimony as the Education Committee, which advanced the measure earlier this month.
Waikoloa Elementary School teacher Lawrence Denis III testified in favor of the bill, saying, "Thank you for introducing something friendly to teachers like this. We have been hit with pay cuts, furloughs, increased medical, attacks to tenure and other benefits — I think it’s about time we get something good for a change."
Diane Aoki, a fifth-grade teacher at Kealakehe Elementary School, also submitted testimony. At her school, 70 percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Some don’t come to school with their own supplies.
"I keep a supply of basics in the classroom for these children, which I will buy out of my own pockets, if need be," she stated.
Lowell Kalapa of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii opposed the plan, telling lawmakers the tax credit would create an indirect burden on other taxpayers. He suggested the state instead fix the purchasing system to eliminate delays in approving teachers’ supply requests.
The bill now heads to the full Senate, where it is expected to pass and advance to the House.
