Here in Oklahoma, 50th in teacher pay in the US, we are given anywhere from $50 to $200 for our personal use in our class. But this must purchase all the supplies you'll need like construction paper, art supplies, paper clips, staples. This in at least the 3 different districts I've been in and they were poor districts. I spend an average of $500 of my own for supplies like crayons and paper, because if I send a note home to the parents, they get real pissy that their 4 year old needs more than one box of crayons a semester. And pencils, you might as well forget getting more than 5 pencils for the year. They think they last forever. These kids are mostly from drug dependent families from the recent past like parents, grandparents, etc. They are so delayed, but the system wants them reading when they leave Kindergarten. Most are lucky to even be writing their names! Then the life they lead during the summer, they forget everything they learned in Kindergarten, and then go to 1st grade seemingly not knowing anything. Don't know about you but I am tired of being blamed for the children not learning when they do master what you are teaching at the time, but they are unable to store it to memory. Parents don't understand when you go over and over and over the material until the children act like zombies reciting skills learned. I hope the deeper it's stored, the better the retention level.