I was shocked to read the back to school supply list for my daughter this year. She is going into first grade and I expected a short list of items that I would need to buy. What I got, was a list of items that angered me. I understand that the budget for schools has been decreased, but it is not fair that parents are expected to make up for it. My daughter attends a public school that also has a uniform dress code. This means that I have to buy supplies and special clothes for her. My son attends a special public school for special needs children and I will not get his list until Open House. I am cringing just thinking about what his list will look like. Here is a copy of my daughter's list:
Required Supplies
5 dozen #2 yellow pencils (I bought 1 pack of ten and will send to school as needed by my child)
4 jumbo glue sticks ((I bought a pkg of small glue sticks and will send to school as needed by my child)
1 pair scissors (yes)
1 roll paper towels (no)
1 pencil box (yes)
1 bottle Elmer’s glue (no)
1 box disinfecting wipes (no)
1 green 2-pocket folder (yes)
1 box quart-sized zip-lock freezer bags (no)
1 box gallon-sized zip-lock freezer bags (no)
2 packs copy paper (500 sheets per pack) (no)
8 packs wide-ruled notebook paper (I bought 2 packs, I will send 1 pack and hold on to the other)
1 pack pencil-top erasers (yes, will send as needed by my child)
3 composition books” 1 blue, 1 green, 1 red (yes)
Addition & Subtraction flash cards - sums to 18 (You might want to buy an extra set of flash cards to keep at home too) (yes)
2 boxes of 24 count crayons (yes, will send 1 box and keep one at home)
5 low order dry erase markers & 1 eraser (or sock) (no)
1 box paper clips (no)
3 boxes Kleenex tissues (no)
1 book bag (no wheels please) (yes)
1 blue 1” 3-ring binder (yes)
1 yellow 2-pocket folder (yes)
1 pk. White card stock (60 pound) (no)
As you can see, I picked the items that I felt were acceptable and bought them. I spent $42. Not too bad, but that doesn't include the $100 I will need to spend on uniforms just to start off the school year. If I bought every item on the supply list, I would have spent over $100. This would have been for just one child. I still do not know what I will have to buy for my son. I shudder to think how much money parents with more than one child to buy for will be spending to get their children ready for school. I am sure I will be spending at least $40 on my son.
My question is, what is the school going to do when I don't send in every item on the list? Do they really expect parents to do this? Do they really think we can afford it? Now remember, it is the required list they are puttin out. The optional supplies list is as follows:
Optional Supplies
Candy (individually wrapped)/small treats for the treat jar
Glitter - gold, silver, or red
1 pk. multi-colored card stock (60 pound)
Electric pencil sharpener
Box of file folders (letter-sized)
Blank CDs and CD cases
6" white paper doilies
Yellow poster board
Red poster board
Flat magnets
Water-based magic markers
Colored Pencils
No, I did not buy anything off of the Optional Supplies list. Who could afford to after buying the required supplies? I didn't buy everything off of the required list, but I still have uniforms to buy. My daughter's teacher is just going to have to understand that the economy is affecting us parents just as badly (if not more) as it is affecting them. If I were homeschooling my children, I would need the supplies listed, but I am not. I think it is ridiculous that parents are being asked to spend so much money for classroom supplies.
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24 comments:
Here Here! And I guess what I don't like about it is that, these supplies are not for your kids...they are to share. They are put in big piles and will be distributed to the class...so my daughter who wants the puppy dog folder, can't have it...because it will be put in a pile for the teacher to hand out. Don't get me wrong, I understand schools are shorthanded, but really...I agree with you. We did not buy anything off the optional list either!
Are you kidding me? This is ridiculous! When did we have to start supplying the schools with their classroom tools?
I just wrote a post about getting the teacher a gift certificate to help with school supplies since they usually buy at least $1200 worth of stuff themselves...BUT this is ridiculous.
The Diva starts preschool in a month. Now I am scared of what they will ask us to buy. Holy crap!!
The optional is ridiculous. And its sad that the school cant supply paper towels? And 3 boxes of tissue per child? Crazy!
ok, I will be the other side.
I went to private school, but my parents did not have a lot of money. and with the school not being subsided by the state my school was actually pretty darn poor itself. most of those supplies are not bought by the school and your daughters teacher may think some are necc for the class. kleenex, or would you rather have snot everywhere? lol.
I don't agree with some, but I do think she was probably trying to get extras for kids that can't afford anything. sad but true.
you did mention uniforms so i am thinking maybe your daughter is in the same situation as i was?
Schools keep getting their budgets dropped, frankly that isn't the teachers fault. or your kids fault. heck it isn't your fault but for a good education, i would pay for extra supplies.
I am not trying to bash you at all, I like you tons, I just thought I might be able to shed some light?
Karissa - She attends a public school. I have no problem with buying what is necessary. I don't mind buying kleenex, if I have the money. The thing is, I am a SAHM and my husband's work has him on a two week on and two week off schedule. We just don't have the money to buy everything on the list. If we did, I wouldn't have a problem with it. I just don't think all those items should be on the required list. (I know your not bashing me. You are too nice to do that. I do see the other side, but I just don't think it is right that they put all of that on the required list)
We have ridiculous lists for our kids too! It drives me crazy! Last year my son was required to buy a specific brand of scientific calculator(the most expensive), and he did not even use it all year!
That's crazy. I am all for helping out but that is a LONG list.
We have always been asked to supply a box of kleenex and a roll of papertowels....I never really thought about those. I am shocked by so man yof the others though....like copy paper? why don't they just not give them busy work and have them work out problems on the white board or the computers that every classroom has. To me the waste of paper in classrooms is ridiculous! I can't imagine then buyinguniforms on top of that, wow!
It's a long list and there's a few things I question, but paper towels, kleenex, ziplock bags, and disinfecting wipes I would have gotten. Maybe the school should provide I don't know, but they don't. So if everyone doesn't send then it becomes out of the teacher's pocket. Not sure about where you are, but here teachers don't make much. Copy paper, EIGHT packs of notebook paper, and 60 pencils is CRAZY.
If the paper clips are for a project (which is likely), I'd send them...if for the teacher, I wouldn't. That may be what the cardstock is for too - class projects.
I'm actually ok with a long list, and I'd have sent the copy paper and such, but it's probably because I'm a teacher and I know how much I spend each year in my classroom. Yes, it would be nice if the school would provide more, but if they don't, I won't let my class suffer so I buy it myself.
When my daughter was in 1st grade, what made me mad was the NAME BRANDS...Her list specifically said things like Crayola colors and markers, Fiskars Scissors, Elmer's glue, etc. I didn't think they should be telling me what name brands to buy.
Wow! That seems a little ridiculous!
I agree that it is a tad ridiculous. One of the reasons we were prompted to homeschool actually. While buying our own curriculum is expensive we have cut corners many other ways (including being able to buy all the school supplies after school starts and getting them on sale!).
There is one agreement that I have with other commenters also and that is the kleenex and paper towels. I always bought even more than what was on the list and gave them to the teacher. Germs and me don't sit well together lol!
My daughter is also going into Grade 1 and the school buys supplies in bulk for wholesale prices and then charges us,. Our bill for the whole year is $30 which I think is reasonable.
I so hear your frustration! My daughter attends public school and I pay taxes for that! If they are short coming theres nothing I can do. I will make sure she has what she needs but I do not have the money or desire to pay for other peoples children!
Some of those things are just crazy. I know I went and did some of my shopping the other day and got maybe about half of it for my 2 boys that are going into grades 7 and 5 ! I spent over 120 bucks and I wont buy if they aren't on sale! I think these schools go way over board. I know 2 years ago there was so much on the list i asked the teacher , if I was buying for the whole darn class ! She actually told me that they make the list a little more in case there is a student that just can not afford it! I was shocked . maybe we all should be that family this year . My turn after buying school supplies for the last 20 years !
Our supply lists look very similar. I'm actually okay with sending in extra supplies to help the teacher and families with a smaller budget. We're a paycheck to paycheck family ourselves but if you think about it, the average teacher spends $1200 of his/her own money per school year on supplies. That cost shouldn't fall on a single teacher, it should be distributed among the parents.
I remember a couple years ago my co-worker shared the list she received from the school and one of the required was the candy. I thought that was ridiculous. I also think that many pencils is just insane and you know they don't need that many baggies. What the heck?
I myself would have bought the kleenex, paper towels and disinfecting wipes just because I know that kids can be really messy and 1 kid going through 3 box of kleenex in a season is not unheard of.
I don't know how to feel about such things really. We live off 1 slightly higher than minimum wage pay check and I would still feel bad and help out if I were asked. I know there are parents who can't afford it.. sometimes for 20 yrs in a row, you just don't know their situation. I don't think the kids should suffer because their parents can't afford it.. but yes, that list is a bit inflated.
Btw, today I was on box tops for education and I noticed last yr our local elementary school only got $200 something for the whole year. You'd think if people want to help their schools out that they'd take the time to save those things up and help out the school and then maybe the teachers wouldn't have to ask for quite so much.
It seems to me there's a serious flaw in our educational system if they can't provide pencils and paper for our kids. I'd rather they take care of the basics and ask the parents for the extras. I'd buy some of the extras if it meant they'd send home fewer of those damned fundraisers.
If you watch Toys R Us around school time, they have all their supplies for really cheap. You just have to watch each week leading up to when school starts. I replenished our supplies here at home with the Crayola buy one get 2 free sale a week or 2 ago.
That list IS excessive! My kids usually get a list that I consider too long, but that one has easily 1/3 more items on it.
I have a tub of stuff that I stock pile through the year. 15 cent notebooks, 50 cent boxes of the good crayons, etc. Then when I get our list it's not as bad a hit to the pocketbook.
At least this year, now that Florida recognizes Asperger's and my son is FINALLY in a good placement, I do not have to send any school supplies with him. However, I do need to go buy some treats for the teacher to use for him that don't contain food dyes.
It would be cool if someone around you that you know,
has a tax id number and could buy these things wholesale and you all could help buy the items and share the items.
lisagee - that would be cool. But, I don't know anyone with a tax id number.
This list does seem a little over the top. However, as a teacher I know that I purchase a lot of these items (paper towels, ziploc bags, cardstock, kleenex) by myself.
Which raises the larger issue... we (the school system and those involved with it) need to figure out away to incorporate these items into the school budget so that it is not an extra burden on teachers or students.
I am hoping that my list was more reasonable... I know many of my families can't afford the supplies...
That's rediculous. But get this: What happened to a free public education? We moved to Overland Park, KS a little over 3 years ago. My daughter has attended 7th, 8th and 9th grades here and every year we MUST pay for school. This year my daughter's minimum school fees (which includes textbook rental!) are $110, additionally we have to pay $10 for a school ID, $20 for a planner, and class fees for individual classes. FOr example, her English class is $12. We speak English. This isn't some fancy class, just grammar, etc.
These fees are REQUIRED to start school. I didn't have the money on Wednesday, which was fee payment day. They called me at work on Thursday and asked when I would be stopping by to pay the fees.
They told me that school starts on the 18th and my payment is due no later than the 14th! They won't even give me her class schedule. It's awful. Her total REQUIRED fees come to over $175! My payday isn't until the 21st. They told me I could pay with a credit card, which would require a $2 credit card payment fee.
I haven't even bought my daughter school clothes or school supplies. I so want to call the local news station about this. It's so unfair. I don't know what I'm going to do. Any suggestions?
Heather22 - is it a public school?
That is nuts! I wouldn't be buying half of that crap.
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