The Back-To-School sales will be kicking into full gear now that August has returned, and every parent knows how expensive it is to get the young ones set for another year.

However, teachers are also on the hook some tools of their trade, and school supplies are often paid for with their own money, not to mention any video instruction tools or computer software or other materials used to teach class.

A 2007 study by The National School Supply and Equipment Association found 93 percent of teachers spend their own money on school supplies for their classroom.

U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell’s background as a high school history teacher in Montgomery County gives him insight into the emotional commitment teachers make to their pupils, and this financial commitment as well.

Kissell authored a bill in May that would continue the tax deductions the Internal Revenue Service allows educators to take for certain out of pocket classroom expenses through 2011.

“Having spent seven years as a teacher, I know first-hand the struggles of the American teacher. As education budgets continue to shrink, teachers are bearing the brunt of the shortfalls,” Kissell said in a May release. “They already spend a great deal of their personal income on supplies and equipment to make sure their students have what they need to succeed and they will spend more as their schools face more budget cuts. This extension will help give them a tax deduction and some well-deserved recognition for their dedication.”

With the school year fast approaching and cutbacks in local government spending more or less across the board in the United States, the bill has now garnered over 100 sponsors in the House of Representatives.

“We feel that it should do well,” Congressional Chief of Staff Leanne Powell said. “It’s been referred to the Education Committee and with that many sponsors we feel it should receive a favorable report.”

She said Kissell’s staff expects the bill to come the House floor sometime in the Fall.

As the tax code now stands, elementary and secondary teachers can deduct up to $250 on their income taxes for certain classroom expenses they purchase using their own money.

The National Education Association recently featured Kissell in a piece on its website.

“Studies are showing that teachers are spending more of their own funds each year to supply their classrooms and purchase essential items such as pencils, glue, scissors and facial tissue,” the feature read.