August 11, 2025 • 10 mins
A recent Bankrate survey shows that nearly one in five back-to-school shoppers say the costs are putting significant pressure on their household budgets.Intuit Credit Karma reports that 39% of parents say they simply can’t afford back-to-school shopping this year, while more than half (56%) are scaling back nonessential spending to cope.According to Deloitte, 52% of parents are worried about rising prices on school supplies and plan to cut back on things like eating out and entertainment to compensate.Paper costs have soared by 120% and could double again, while the Consumer Technology Association projects laptop and tablet prices could increase by as much as 68%.On Wednesday, August 6, NEA President Becky Pringle is available to discuss:How are tariffs and tight budgets impacting back-to-school spending?What does the new data tell us about how educators are making sure their students have what they need to begin the school year?Why are so many teachers and school support staff paying for supplies out of pocket?What impact does the delay or disruption in federal preK-12 education funding have on students and schools?How can parents and communities do to support their local educators and public schools?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, hello, and good morning, Becky. How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm good.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Absolutely fantastic and very excited to share a conversation with you,
because I got to know, how are you staying so
strong when it feels like that the educational system is
just constantly under attack. It's like, what are the teachers
doing wrong? They can't be doing anything wrong. They are
fighting to keep their classes together.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Oh well, well, let me let me say that I
am always encouraged by educators all over this country. They
inspire me and they lift me up. They remind me
of our individual and collective why we do this work, yep.
(00:45):
And as long as we're centering our children and making
sure that we do everything we can to demand that
they have what they need and what they deserve, not
just school but in life, then they are doing it.
They're doing it all. So they inspire me, and that's
(01:08):
what I know that they won't stop, so we will
fight as long as we need to.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I'm so glad that you that you said that, and
the reason why is because that's what keeps me in
there as an educator as well, is the fact that
I love those times when when you feel that inspiration.
You're not going to get it every day, but when
even through a student, when the student finally understands the situation,
my god, there's no feeling greater than that. And that's
what pushes us forward.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Absolutely absolutely. You know arrow I taught eighth grader is
the one that's the science for thirty one years. Wow.
And as you were saying that, I you know, you
relive it. You relive it, and it's exciting when that happens.
And certainly this time of the year back to school
always sure and excitement and anticipations for the students, for
(01:56):
the educators, for the parents, everyone, and to your earlier point,
Right now, our parents and educators are very anxious about
the impact of this and certainly of the economy, the
rise and costs because of the terriffs. The executive order
(02:17):
was signed sign that they'll raise again tomorrow, so they're
very very concerned about the increase in costs connect and
also with the increase in cards. So it's an anxious time.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I thought that times were tough when I was a kid,
and but now when I look at what's going on,
it's like I wish my mother were here so that
we could sit down and try to work this out
in the way of what did you do when you
were a child? Mom versus me and versus my grandchildren now,
because it really are you know, it's a changing time
and the cost is through the roof. I don't know
how people are can't afford to even be there.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Oh my goodness, Aaro, yeah, I wish the same my
mom and my dad were here as we navigate some
really tough times in this country. And we know that
with our families struggling to make ends meet, they're they're there,
they're stretched so thin, and yet as parents, you know,
(03:23):
they're doing the very.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Best again for their children and sometimes they just can't
do enough. And where does that fall? Men? We know
where are false? It all to the schools and educators
who always feel that they have to do more, that
they have to fill those gaps that they you know,
have to dig further into their pockets, you know, Aaron,
where you know most of them are spending at least
(03:47):
five hundred dollars a year and they also have family
that there were just stretch thin too, so for them
to be making that sacrifice for their students, which they do,
but to know that the gaps are bigger and more
students are falling into those gaps. They're they're very discouraged
(04:08):
and frustrated by the fact that they know that this
government has the money. That's been that's never been actually
a question whether this government, the federal government, has the wealth,
they have the will. The question always is that they
have the will, and right now they're not demonstrating that
(04:28):
they have the will to do what's best for a students.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Please do not move. There's more with Becky Pringle coming
up next. Our educational system is under attack. We're talking
with the President of the NEA, Becky Pringle. Teachers are
they've got side hustles as well. In other words, that
they you know, they're they're doing a full day at
the school with the students, and then they're going to
a job at a grocery store, at a restaurant. They're
(04:51):
doing whatever they can in order to not only give
the students new supplies, but to keep their head above water.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
They absolutely are You already know you know this yourself,
that in addition to taking on two or three jobs,
educators that the job as an educator, whether it's a
teacher or a paraprofessional they know it doesn't end when
the students leave the school, or when they leave the school,
they're still working to prepare for that next day or
(05:23):
their their call them parents and their natural allies, and
working with them to address any concerns that they that
they that their students may have. So it's a lot,
it's a lot. It's stressful. And when you don't believe
that your your government is supporting you, when you're seeing
(05:44):
them attack you, when you're seeing them do nothing about
the fact that you that we still have a ways
fental the gap with educators. We know that other professionals
that have the same amount of experience and the same
level of education, teachers make twenty five percent less and
so we never address that. But you add all that
(06:07):
you just said to that, it's only making the educator's
shortage in this country worse, not better.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
How do you feel about South Carolina now having teachers
that don't really have degrees, because I mean that opens
up the door for using personal human experience to teach
those classes.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
So we know that it's a shared responsibility. When we
say every student, if we mean every student, they have
to share responsibility, not just educators and parents, but communing
members coming together to meet the collective needs of what
we call that whole student, because it's not just the education.
They have to have the healthcare, and they have the
food and all of those things. But when we have
(06:49):
efforts that diminish teaching as a profession, of course we're
going to speak up about that. That's one of the
issues that educators have said over the years, that they
that that we're not treated as the professionals we we are.
That anybody that ever spent you know, time in a
classroom can come in and do what we do which
(07:10):
they cannot. They can help in many ways, and we
need that to help us in many ways. But you know,
he wouldn't be saying that, you know, for a doctor, well,
if you have time, can you come with some stations.
I'm overloaded right now. We would not never think of that. Well, no,
we would never do that.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
You're gonna think I'm weird. But at least two or
three times a year I will sit there and ask
this question, what would Laura Ingles do in this situation?
Because I've always believed that Laura Ingles was one of
the greatest teachers of all time.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
That's a good, good question, what do you as educators?
We may, we may do what we have and that's
never been okay, Arrow, we know that because we know
that we have students that have their needs and we
have to try to meet them. But right now, when
we have a federal government, this administration is directly attacking
(08:08):
public education, when we know that public education is the
foundation of this or any democracy, and so our very
democracy is that threat. And what are they doing. They're
taking money out out of some of our public schools
and putting them into charters. They're privatizing everything, making it
(08:32):
harder for our public schools to have the resources they
need to meet those needs, the needs of all of
our all of our students. And so that becomes that
that that that certainly has become part of our fight
to create those fair and just and stable and transparent
uh and timely kind to support that We know our
(08:54):
students and our schools and our educators' needs. So we're
fighting on all fronts, ERL, because it's what we do.
So we can't do it alone. Feed others to join
our movement. Collectively we can, okay, relllectively, we can.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Where do people go to join your movement? So we
can get that word out there and keep it out there,
because this has got to be something that has got
to be talked about the entire school season, not just
now at the beginning.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
You are absolutely right. Please go to Anya dot org
last protect at the site where you'll find all kinds
of information, all the issues you and I have been
talking about, some we didn't get a chance to cover.
And we'll meet people where they are, so wherever their
passion is, whatever they want to fight for, we will
(09:40):
give them a range of actions they can take, from
just sending email to their member of Congress to joining
us in mobilizations that we have and we'll continue to
have across this country. The next big one will be
Labor Day, so join us.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
I love. Please come back to this show anytime in
the future. Becky. The door is always going to be
open for you.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I appreciate that. Errold, you have a great day.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
You'd be brilliant today.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Okay, I'll do my best.
Hi, hello, and good morning, Becky. How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm good.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Absolutely fantastic and very excited to share a conversation with you,
because I got to know, how are you staying so
strong when it feels like that the educational system is
just constantly under attack. It's like, what are the teachers
doing wrong? They can't be doing anything wrong. They are
fighting to keep their classes together.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Oh well, well, let me let me say that I
am always encouraged by educators all over this country. They
inspire me and they lift me up. They remind me
of our individual and collective why we do this work, yep.
(00:45):
And as long as we're centering our children and making
sure that we do everything we can to demand that
they have what they need and what they deserve, not
just school but in life, then they are doing it.
They're doing it all. So they inspire me, and that's
(01:08):
what I know that they won't stop, so we will
fight as long as we need to.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I'm so glad that you that you said that, and
the reason why is because that's what keeps me in
there as an educator as well, is the fact that
I love those times when when you feel that inspiration.
You're not going to get it every day, but when
even through a student, when the student finally understands the situation,
my god, there's no feeling greater than that. And that's
what pushes us forward.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Absolutely absolutely. You know arrow I taught eighth grader is
the one that's the science for thirty one years. Wow.
And as you were saying that, I you know, you
relive it. You relive it, and it's exciting when that happens.
And certainly this time of the year back to school
always sure and excitement and anticipations for the students, for
(01:56):
the educators, for the parents, everyone, and to your earlier point,
Right now, our parents and educators are very anxious about
the impact of this and certainly of the economy, the
rise and costs because of the terriffs. The executive order
(02:17):
was signed sign that they'll raise again tomorrow, so they're
very very concerned about the increase in costs connect and
also with the increase in cards. So it's an anxious time.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
I thought that times were tough when I was a kid,
and but now when I look at what's going on,
it's like I wish my mother were here so that
we could sit down and try to work this out
in the way of what did you do when you
were a child? Mom versus me and versus my grandchildren now,
because it really are you know, it's a changing time
and the cost is through the roof. I don't know
how people are can't afford to even be there.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Oh my goodness, Aaro, yeah, I wish the same my
mom and my dad were here as we navigate some
really tough times in this country. And we know that
with our families struggling to make ends meet, they're they're there,
they're stretched so thin, and yet as parents, you know,
(03:23):
they're doing the very.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Best again for their children and sometimes they just can't
do enough. And where does that fall? Men? We know
where are false? It all to the schools and educators
who always feel that they have to do more, that
they have to fill those gaps that they you know,
have to dig further into their pockets, you know, Aaron,
where you know most of them are spending at least
(03:47):
five hundred dollars a year and they also have family
that there were just stretch thin too, so for them
to be making that sacrifice for their students, which they do,
but to know that the gaps are bigger and more
students are falling into those gaps. They're they're very discouraged
(04:08):
and frustrated by the fact that they know that this
government has the money. That's been that's never been actually
a question whether this government, the federal government, has the wealth,
they have the will. The question always is that they
have the will, and right now they're not demonstrating that
(04:28):
they have the will to do what's best for a students.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Please do not move. There's more with Becky Pringle coming
up next. Our educational system is under attack. We're talking
with the President of the NEA, Becky Pringle. Teachers are
they've got side hustles as well. In other words, that
they you know, they're they're doing a full day at
the school with the students, and then they're going to
a job at a grocery store, at a restaurant. They're
(04:51):
doing whatever they can in order to not only give
the students new supplies, but to keep their head above water.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
They absolutely are You already know you know this yourself,
that in addition to taking on two or three jobs,
educators that the job as an educator, whether it's a
teacher or a paraprofessional they know it doesn't end when
the students leave the school, or when they leave the school,
they're still working to prepare for that next day or
(05:23):
their their call them parents and their natural allies, and
working with them to address any concerns that they that
they that their students may have. So it's a lot,
it's a lot. It's stressful. And when you don't believe
that your your government is supporting you, when you're seeing
(05:44):
them attack you, when you're seeing them do nothing about
the fact that you that we still have a ways
fental the gap with educators. We know that other professionals
that have the same amount of experience and the same
level of education, teachers make twenty five percent less and
so we never address that. But you add all that
(06:07):
you just said to that, it's only making the educator's
shortage in this country worse, not better.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
How do you feel about South Carolina now having teachers
that don't really have degrees, because I mean that opens
up the door for using personal human experience to teach
those classes.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
So we know that it's a shared responsibility. When we
say every student, if we mean every student, they have
to share responsibility, not just educators and parents, but communing
members coming together to meet the collective needs of what
we call that whole student, because it's not just the education.
They have to have the healthcare, and they have the
food and all of those things. But when we have
(06:49):
efforts that diminish teaching as a profession, of course we're
going to speak up about that. That's one of the
issues that educators have said over the years, that they
that that we're not treated as the professionals we we are.
That anybody that ever spent you know, time in a
classroom can come in and do what we do which
(07:10):
they cannot. They can help in many ways, and we
need that to help us in many ways. But you know,
he wouldn't be saying that, you know, for a doctor, well,
if you have time, can you come with some stations.
I'm overloaded right now. We would not never think of that. Well, no,
we would never do that.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
You're gonna think I'm weird. But at least two or
three times a year I will sit there and ask
this question, what would Laura Ingles do in this situation?
Because I've always believed that Laura Ingles was one of
the greatest teachers of all time.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
That's a good, good question, what do you as educators?
We may, we may do what we have and that's
never been okay, Arrow, we know that because we know
that we have students that have their needs and we
have to try to meet them. But right now, when
we have a federal government, this administration is directly attacking
(08:08):
public education, when we know that public education is the
foundation of this or any democracy, and so our very
democracy is that threat. And what are they doing. They're
taking money out out of some of our public schools
and putting them into charters. They're privatizing everything, making it
(08:32):
harder for our public schools to have the resources they
need to meet those needs, the needs of all of
our all of our students. And so that becomes that
that that that certainly has become part of our fight
to create those fair and just and stable and transparent
uh and timely kind to support that We know our
(08:54):
students and our schools and our educators' needs. So we're
fighting on all fronts, ERL, because it's what we do.
So we can't do it alone. Feed others to join
our movement. Collectively we can, okay, relllectively, we can.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Where do people go to join your movement? So we
can get that word out there and keep it out there,
because this has got to be something that has got
to be talked about the entire school season, not just
now at the beginning.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
You are absolutely right. Please go to Anya dot org
last protect at the site where you'll find all kinds
of information, all the issues you and I have been
talking about, some we didn't get a chance to cover.
And we'll meet people where they are, so wherever their
passion is, whatever they want to fight for, we will
(09:40):
give them a range of actions they can take, from
just sending email to their member of Congress to joining
us in mobilizations that we have and we'll continue to
have across this country. The next big one will be
Labor Day, so join us.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
I love. Please come back to this show anytime in
the future. Becky. The door is always going to be
open for you.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
I appreciate that. Errold, you have a great day.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
You'd be brilliant today.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Okay, I'll do my best.
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