COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo — As communities across Colorado prepare for back-to-school backpack and school supply drives, one former teacher's family is sharing how the cost of supplying classrooms increasingly fell on educators.
News5 is highlighting this story ahead of the Back to School Bash for military, veteran, and southeast families. Click here for more information on the bash and how to take advantage of the opportunity.
Ken Gudenrath said his wife, April, taught for about 15 years in a northern El Paso County school district before taking an international teaching position. Over the course of her career, he said, the amount of personal money she spent on classroom supplies steadily increased.
"I think it starts off as there is the time and money that the teachers want to dedicate, and that has morphed into an expectation by the community," Gudenrath explained. "I think there's a very, very large moat between the reality of what teachers give in their own money and time and what parents think and what parents expect."
According to the National Education Association, educators on average spend anywhere in between $500 and $900 of their own money on school supplies. Adopt a Teacher did a survey for the 2024-25 school year and showcased similar findings, estimating the average teacher spent $895 out of pocket on school supplies.
When Gudenrath's wife began teaching more than two decades ago, he said spending a few hundred dollars each school year on classroom supplies felt manageable. Over time, however, he said parents increasingly expected teachers to cover costs themselves when schools lacked funding.
"Over those 20 years that has morphed into, 'Why isn't this in the classroom? Why isn't the school paying for it?' and then looking at the teacher and going, 'You should just pay for it.'"
While some parents occasionally donated money to classroom funds, Gudenrath said those contributions became less common. Instead, he said his family decided to absorb the costs themselves because they were financially able.
"There was one year it exceeded over $1,000 that she was buying supplies and replenishing supplies," he stated.
Those expenses continued throughout the school year as basic items disappeared or students arrived without the materials they needed.
"April would do her best to supply those because the kids would need those basic tools to be able to be present in their education," Gudenrath said. "Without those tools, it's a distraction."
He said backpack drives and other community donation efforts help ease the burden for both families and teachers.
"I think the community stepping in to help out is a huge step toward, 'We still love our children. We need to make sure that gap is being closed,'" he said.
Gudenrath said the efforts send an important message that a child's education should not depend on a family's financial situation.
"Our kids shouldn't be robbed of their education because of dollars... dollars that aren't available," he added.
He also encouraged parents to recognize the financial sacrifices many educators make each year.
"Parents need to understand teachers, as we know, are well underpaid, well underappreciated," Gudenrath said. "So if there's something that needs to be in the classroom, that parent should be willing to help."
While parent organizations often raise money for classroom needs, Gudenrath said the responsibility should not rest solely on families.
"That shouldn't be incumbent upon the parents," he said. "That should be our government system driving that better than we do."
This upcoming weekend, on Saturday, August 1, members of Les Schwab Tire will be at the Back to School Bash to distribute goods donated by the community and News5 viewers.
From 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Saturday, military and veteran families will receive priority access, and the YMCA will open its doors to the rest of the community in Southeast Colorado Springs from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Register here today.
Pet boarding facility owner facing charges against animals and employee
Daniel O'Sullivan owns Boardmoor Pet Resort off I-25 in Fountain. Earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge after a dog died at the facility earlier this year. He's facing two additional charges.
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