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Give Dedicated Teachers Credit

West Virginians are blessed with thousands of truly great, dedicated school teachers. Many are so concerned with doing their best for our children and grandchildren that they dig into their own pockets to buy classroom supplies and supplemental education materials. That is very common.

A bill introduced in the state Senate, SB85, would provide some acknowledgment of such sacrifices by teachers. It would grant them state income tax credits of up to $500 for purchases of supplies they are not reimbursed for out of their own pockets.

Fiscal concerns are very much on lawmakers’ minds this year, so some may worry about the expense of such a credit. It could easily add up to more than $1 million a year.

Fine. At least until some experience is gained with the idea, legislators may want to cap the credits at a lower amount — say $100. That certainly would be affordable.

It would be no windfall for teachers. Remember, enactment of the bill would only compensate them for some of their out-of-pocket spending on behalf of our children and grandchildren.

Legislators ought to approve some version of SB85 to benefit teachers who have demonstrated their own personal determination to do the best they can for students.

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