How in the world do people afford to send their children to school?

[KidsHappen]

This weekend is tax-free weekend here in TN so we went school shopping yesterday. To give you some idea of how much money I saved our tax rate is almost 10% and I saved $80 and almost all clothes came from a second hand store.

 

First there is the required school supply lists. In our county the list are very specific. Here is an example:

 

36 Ticondaroga #2 presharped pencils

1 Papermate Pink Pearl Eraser

1 Hand held Pencil Sharpener

1 Package Crayola Classic Washable Broad Tip Markers 10 count

1 Package Crayola 12 count Colored Pencils

1 Package Crayola 24 Count Crayons

3 Sanford Expo Low Odor Black Dry Erase Markers

1 Pair Fiskar Brand Scissors

1 Large Elmers Glue Stick

1 Sharpie Black Fine Tip Permanent Marker

1 Fiskar Clear Flexible 12" Ruler

1 Three Ring Pencil Holder that fits in Notebooks

1 Backpack

I Green Pocket Folder

2 College Ruled, 100 page, Black Mead Composition Notebook

2 Packages of College Ruled Loose leaf Notebook Paper

5 Pocket Dividers

5 Tab Dividers

2 2" Note Book Binders

3 College Ruled Spiral 3 Subject Notebooks with plastic Covers

3X3" Post-it Notes in 3 Colors

3 Different Color Highlighters

2 Packages Scotch Brand Clear Tape in Dispensers

1 Box Kleenex Brand 2 Ply Tissue in Large Box w/at least 120

1 Roll Viva Brand Paper Towels

1 Package Clorox Brand Wipes - 35 count.

1 Package of Glad quart size Freezer Bags with Zip Locks at least 30 count.

 

Are you Kidding me? Since when did they get so specific? Anyhow, I have two kids in PS and that alone set me back at least $200.

 

I also have to pay about $100 in school fees.

 

Another $250 each on school clothes that fit the dress code. Around the house we wear shorts, pjs and other things that wouldn't pass muster at school so new clothes. Plus I had to buy non sandle, flip-flop, croc type shoes and then of course socks, underwear and bras. I had to buy those things new but I got the rest at a second hand store.

 

And then I still have to register my oldest two with the umbrella school - $100. So I am out about $1000 before I even buy the curriculum for the high schoolers. I am broke, broke, broke. I don't know that I spent this much for curriculum for all of them in any one year before. This is just crazy. How do less fortunate people afford to send their kids to PS?

 

And on a purely personal note, this is not even the beginning of the money I have spent and will spend for the rest of this month. The High schoolers both need new math and science programs this year and one is taking some Keystone courses. I just bought paint and primer for three bedrooms plus new bedding for them and then I have to go to Atlanta for my grandbaby's b-day on the 22 and we are going to the Atlanta Zoo for the day which is never cheap. The household emergency savings will be wiped at the end of the month and Christmas in just 4 months. I am seriously stressed about money right now and I consider myself pretty fortunate. It is a good thing that the rest of the year is relatively extra expense free.

[Georgiana Daniels]

Ouch!

 

I'm feeling your pain. The fees for my high school daughter's ps come to $125 this year. Thankfully she now has a job and can buy her own school clothes for the first time. But this year we have senior pictures, and all the things that go along with having a senior:001_huh:

 

I don't know how others do it either. I once asked a school admin, and he said that they do have a few programs available for those who don't have any means to pay the school fees. Sadly, I'm sure there are many students in my daughter's school who don't get yearbooks and all the fun stuff that make it memorable.

[Desert Rat]

Double ouch!

 

I think the lists are so specific because your child doesn't get to keep your purchases. The supplies go into a big bin and everyone picks from it. This is how it works here in Vegas. So kids who buy generic markers (nothin' wrong with that!) could easily trade them in for name brand ones.

 

I haven't even started on clothes yet but we're good through the end of October with summer clothes. Gotta' love the desert!

 

I do understand where you are, Kidshappen. Money is squeaky here. I keep dipping into savings to pay for broken arms and car insurance. And we recently found out my dh probably won't have a job past March. So at a time when we should be saving like crazy, money is running through my hands like water. I'm really trying to just focus on today and how I can make a difference just this minute. It isn't working, but I keep trying. LOL

 

Hang in there!

[chaik76]

I never realized how lucky we were until I started reading posts like this...our son was only in school last year, but our lists were nothing like this (and I'm not sure I would fill them even if they were).

 

When we were in elementary school we got one pad of paper per semester and three pencils each...doled out over the year. We had to make those last.

[mafi39]

I'm in Tn too and there is no way I could afford all the supplies listed for my county! I bought lots of crayons, markers, pencils, glue, folders, notebooks and I might have spent 40 bucks on all of it. It will last me the whole year and I'm glad I don't have to worry about new clothes and all that just yet. I do like to buy the kids one new outfit and new shoes, (that's just part of starting the new school year!) but that is it!

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

My best friend's son is starting marching band this year. Fees for this year alone are running her $500 (uniform rental, band t shirts, band camp, bus fees).

 

There was no way I could have participated in band (my favorite high school experience) if fees were that high.

 

It's sad.

 

K

[Georgiana Daniels]

PS. I was talking to a ps teacher the other day, and she spent big $$ to buy certain supplies for her student instead of adding to their list. It's sad how much isn't taken care of in our public schools.

[Stacy in NJ]

Add in the cost of any activities or clubs like band or drama and the cost of sports and equipment and then you're talking real money.

 

Sorry about the expenses. What is it with the extensive list of supplies? Paper towels, zip bags and clorox wipes? Are you supplying your kid or the janitorial staff?

 

ETA: I really would like to know why about half of the stuff on your list looks like supplies for the school rather than supplies for your kid. Post-it notes? Really? Really?

Edited August 8, 2009 by Stacy in NJ
?

[elegantlion]

Several years ago a friend registered two kids for high school and spent over 700.00 in fees even before clothes and supplies. Now that includes sports fee and school photos but it was still a lot to fork over before school. I remember being shocked and thankful that we homeschooled.

[Dirtroad]

I had a teacher tell me that the list are specific b/c of fairness. They don't want one child having the 240 pack of CRAYOLA crayons and the other child having an 8 pack of RoseARt crayons.:huh: They also want the wipes & paper towels specific b/c they don't want parents sending in lesser quality and everyone is on the same $$ level etc.

 

Talk about socialism in other threads... what about in these schools? Don't have something different & don't spend more than your neighbor, etc. Scary!

 

And for your personal list of items... who cares as long as you have pencil & paper... why is it the teacher business which dividers or style notebooks you chose.... I can understand looseleaf v/s pulling out from a composition notebook (messy)... but specific brands & amts....come on. And tabs/dividers for notebooks... we used to make our own... and even sticky notes work. Micromanagement & CONFORMITY!

 

Another issue is that YOU CAN"T BE MADE TO DO THIS.... they can't make a Mom send wipes, paper towels, adn specific items... but the peir pressure is HUGE on the parents and the kids (got to do what everyone else is doing!). It is another way to raise "taxes" for schools by not raising taxes... just make you pay it in goods & supplies. I wish more parents would resist. Most of this stuff is unnecessary. A bottle of clorox and a dishcloth would disinfect more than several containers of wipes!

Edited August 8, 2009 by Dirtroad

[PiCO]

Your list is pretty close to our list. We have 48 pencils on the list. My dd uses mechanical pencils, so I don't buy any pencils.

 

Turns out the teachers don't even make the supply list at our school, so half the stuff on the list isn't even used. A lot of stuff is left over at the end of the year- I don't know what happens to that. I buy stuff I think dd will actually need, and wait until the school year starts to see what else she needs. I also ask the teacher if there's anything not on the list that she would like for her classroom.

 

I don't put much in the big bin of shared stuff, because last year dd said a couple boys would break pencils and markers on purpose when the teacher was out of the room. I'm more than happy to supply my child, a little extra to share, and stuff for the teacher. But I'm not going to supply pencils to break.

[PiCO]

I also shop school supply sales starting in July. Someof my better buys this year were:

 

filler paper for 1 cent each pack of 120 (limit 5 packages)

school glue for 50 cents

plastic folders- 10 cents each

spiral notebooks 15 cents each

 

I also save stuff like pencil boxes, scissors, etc. from one year to the next. I think I spent less than $50 for two kids' supplies.

[Loupelou]

The whole thing just drives me crazy! Every year the lists get longer. I have a friend who teaches and she spends plenty out of pocket for her students and her classroom. I just want to know where all the tax money I sent went? The 80% part of my tax burden. Must be going to re-cover those old 1968 history textbooks that two or three students have to share.:tongue_smilie:Can you tell we live in the rural backwoods?

[secular_mom]

I've enrolled my three youngest in PS this year. I spent about $40 on supplies at Wal-mart. The list asked for 8 8packs of crayons, but since they were 78 cents each, and the 24 packs were 25 cents each, I bought 8 24packs instead. DD needs a kindermat, and I bought the 2 inch thick one which was more expensive than the 1 inch thick ones. But her list says to NOT LABEL ANY of her supplies. :?

I'm going to call and ask about that on Monday. I want my DD to use the mat that I bought her, and not some cheaper, thinner mat. I also bought scissors with red handles, because she likes red. It's a bit absurd to not label ANY of the supplies that we have purchased for our children. I don't think I can comply, LOL- and this is our first 'issue' with putting them in school. DS's list says to only label a few items. I can understand that, but I don't understand not labelling ANY of their supplies.

 

Now I'm wondering if I should remove the 16 extra colors from the 24 packs. :)

[Night Elf]

My daughters' public schools had similar lists in the elementary and middle school grade, but they weren't brand specific and I sure wish they had been! All supplies were put into a locked teacher cabinet and doled out as students needed something.

 

Kleenex, chlorox and sanitizer are for classroom hygiene. Kleenex boxes were kept in different parts of the classroom and kids helped themselves. Desks and other shared surfaces were cleaned daily with the chlorox wipes. Kids were encouraged to use sanitizer several times through the day.

 

Gone are the days of the wall pencil sharpener. It was too distracting. I certainly remember my classmates and I purposely breaking our pencil points to walk across the room for various reasons. :tongue_smilie:

 

School budgets are usually tight and I'm sure last year and this year have been much worse than usual. I know many teachers who spent out-of-pocket to bring in classroom supplies. They would often get a small allowance from the school, like $100, but that doesn't go far when you have a classroom of 25 students. This year, one county in Georgia is in hot water with parents because the county cancelled bus services for students who live within 1.5 miles of school. Legally they haven't needed to offer that service but parents got used to it. The safety of the children is compromised and while the school board understands this dilemma, they are at a loss of how to advise the parents on solutions.

[PiCO]

Now I'm wondering if I should remove the 16 extra colors from the 24 packs. :)

 

Just give them 3 of the 24 packs intead of 8 8-packs.;)

 

I label stuff I want my kid to keep. I tell her she's responsible for taking care of her stuff, and she will be bringing it home at the end of the year.

 

I hate things like 8 8-packs of crayons. Really, how many crayons can one kid use in a year? How 'bout if I just send in one pack, and my dd will let me know when she needs a new pack? Let's teach a little personal responsibility.

[TraceyS/FL]

These kind of expenses make me wonder if the STBXH has thought about THAT side of his, "they must go to public school" court filing.

 

Because, he's paying for it if it happens. Doesn't he realize that his 13yo DD that likes her pants baggier and loose enough to be comfy in won't fit in at middle school? That what she likes won't matter - because dropping her into 8th grade where she knows just maybe a few people will be all about trying to "fit in". I could see needing about $4-500 to get her wardrobe up to public school speed.

 

I think the uniforms at the elementary are optional, but probably the only one that could piece together enough clothing would be the youngest, minus shoes (which she hates to wear - i beat she couldn't keep them on ALL DAY). The 10yo would need pants and shoes, we might have enough shirts as hand-me-downs.

 

Then fees, supplies (Algebra, time for the expensive calculator - at home she could use one of the knock-offs online till it pop ups on mega sale), backpacks/totes, GAS to get them to and from school...

 

Really, has he thought this through on the cost side???? I'm not thinking so at all....

 

Anyway, posts like this always make me more thankful for homeschooling and not having to supply the "class" with all of that stuff.... and that our hand-me-down clothes boxes are "good enough", and our wardrobe can remain small, and flip flops are good enough shoes for most of the year! LOL!!

[PiCO]

My daughters' public schools had similar lists in the elementary and middle school grade, but they weren't brand specific and I sure wish they had been! All supplies were put into a locked teacher cabinet and doled out as students needed something.

 

I don't mind some supplies being shared supplies, but I wish kids were expected to take care of their supplies. I think when too much is shared, some kids don't bother to take care of the tools they are using or control their waste.

 

Kleenex, chlorox and sanitizer are for classroom hygiene. Kleenex boxes were kept in different parts of the classroom and kids helped themselves. Desks and other shared surfaces were cleaned daily with the chlorox wipes. Kids were encouraged to use sanitizer several times through the day.

 

I don't send hand sanitizer, I send a note saying my child is not to use it. I send in the clorox wipes, but I don't let my kids use those either- unless they have rubber gloves for them to use. That stuff is toxic!

[dangermom]

What if you can't afford all this stuff, what do you do? I haven't got $100 to spend on school supplies for each kid, and I only have two.

[Tap]

I've enrolled my three youngest in PS this year. I spent about $40 on supplies at Wal-mart. The list asked for 8 8packs of crayons, but since they were 78 cents each, and the 24 packs were 25 cents each, I bought 8 24packs instead. DD needs a kindermat, and I bought the 2 inch thick one which was more expensive than the 1 inch thick ones. But her list says to NOT LABEL ANY of her supplies. :?

I'm going to call and ask about that on Monday. I want my DD to use the mat that I bought her, and not some cheaper, thinner mat. I also bought scissors with red handles, because she likes red. It's a bit absurd to not label ANY of the supplies that we have purchased for our children. I don't think I can comply, LOL- and this is our first 'issue' with putting them in school. DS's list says to only label a few items. I can understand that, but I don't understand not labelling ANY of their supplies.

 

Now I'm wondering if I should remove the 16 extra colors from the 24 packs. :)

 

All of the supplies will go into bins and the kids aren't allowed to keep their own. You can label it, but it will still go into the community bins. Most schools don't have desks with storage anymore, so if they have a couple of things that they are allowed to label, it is most likely the amount that will fit in a small pencil box and stored on a shelf. This greatly simplifies things for the teachers who are left scrounging for kids who don't have parents who offer school supplies to them. The community supplies can be recycled each year as appropriate.

 

The 8 count crayons are so that kids don't spend time picking teal, lime green or forest green for the caterpillar. It limits the choices and thus the time needed to make them.

 

As far as the kindermat, I would label the crud out of it and insist (with a dr.s note if necessary) that she is only to use her own. They get very dirty with kid germs and I would rather not share any more kid germs than possible. I wouldn't want my kid finding another's boogers.

[secular_mom]

All of the supplies will go into bins and the kids aren't allowed to keep their own. You can label it, but it will still go into the community bins. Most schools don't have desks with storage anymore, so if they have a couple of things that they are allowed to label, it is most likely the amount that will fit in a small pencil box and stored on a shelf. This greatly simplifies things for the teachers who are left scrounging for kids who don't have parents who offer school supplies to them. The community supplies can be recycled each year as appropriate.

 

The 8 count crayons are so that kids don't spend time picking teal, lime green or forest green for the caterpillar. It limits the choices and thus the time needed to make them.

 

As far as the kindermat, I would label the crud out of it and insist (with a dr.s note if necessary) that she is only to use her own. They get very dirty with kid germs and I would rather not share any more kid germs than possible. I wouldn't want my kid finding another's boogers.

 

 

Yes, it's the kindermat that's really bugging me. I don't have much of a problem sharing the crayons and such, and I know there will be some kids that don't have the supplies- but I do NOT want those kids sharing my dd's mat. :tongue_smilie:

I'm thinking I'll just take the extra colors out of the crayon boxes, and fill them with the basic colors. Does that make sense? I don't think they will need/use the extra colors.

I'm also supposed to buy 4 plastic Duo-tang folders with pockets and brads. I don't know if Duo-tang is a brand name, or a certain style of folder. I didn't see anything that fit that description at our Wal-mart, but it is one of the smaller stores. I'll be looking at Office Depot and Target too.

The 'joys' of PS. :)

[Tap]

My favorite school that ds went to when he was 1-2nd grade had a supply buyout of $15. Every parent was expected to pay $15 and then the school bought the supplies they needed with the money. It makes so much more sense to me!

 

My PS school rant....At another school, ds was going to attend for 30 days at the end of the year. We had moved to a new state and I figured it would give him a chance to meet neighborhood kids faster. They expected me to buy the whole years worth of school supplies for the last 30 days, and insisted he couldn't attend without them. I bought the basics and sent him with that. He attended for less than a week, his teacher reprimanded him every day, made him miss every recess, accused him of being ADHD (after the 1st day) and it was quite apparent they weren't going to get along so I unenrolled him. He is a very, very sweet kids and had got all school awards (more than just student of the month) for his sweet demeanor...she was a nut job! I asked for the supplies back and her mouth fell open. She insisted that they had all been 'used up' already...in 3 days:confused: I told her to give me his supplies...NOW. She gave them back to me, all in their original packages, unused.

[lmrich]

As a former public school teacher in an inner city environment... we weren't even allowed to ask for supplies. It is a free education! As teachers we were given four boxes of crayons (24 count), two boxes of markers (8 count), six scissors, ten reams of paper, one pack of construction paper, ten boxes of pencils and little else. I can't even tell you how much I spent my first year on basic supplies for my students not to mention books, snacks, and cleaning supplies. At the end of the year I asked my sister, who taught in a wealthier school, for her leftover supplies and I was set for the next year! She had so much stuff! I am not a socialist by any means, do not steal from the rich (hard working middle class in this case) to give to the poor. There is no sense of ownership when you don't actually contribute! The kids I taught were poor - 97% free lunch, but they could bring in a box of crayons and pencils; it would have cost under a dollar then.

 

 

Just for your information -- some teachers don't wish for you to write the kids' names on the supplies is - get this - some parents have such bad handwriting and even do not write their kid's name correctly! No joke!

[Tap]

I'm also supposed to buy 4 plastic Duo-tang folders with pockets and brads. I don't know if Duo-tang is a brand name, or a certain style of folder. I didn't see anything that fit that description at our Wal-mart, but it is one of the smaller stores. I'll be looking at Office Depot and Target too.

The 'joys' of PS. :)

 

Don't worry about the brand, Duo-tang isn't made anymore. It just refers to the style. It is the paper folders with brads inside.

[Audrey]

The whole thing just drives me crazy! Every year the lists get longer. I have a friend who teaches and she spends plenty out of pocket for her students and her classroom. I just want to know where all the tax money I sent went? The 80% part of my tax burden. Must be going to re-cover those old 1968 history textbooks that two or three students have to share.:tongue_smilie:Can you tell we live in the rural backwoods?

 

 

Maybe we live in the same rural backwoods?! Sounds about right for here, too. Last school term, an acquaintance of mine was complaining about how her grade 3 son wasn't reading well. We talked about the methods they use :001_rolleyes: and she shows me these PHOTOCOPIED booklets! Apparently they copy these little crappy readers :001_rolleyes: (geez I need more eye rolls smilies!) and send them home with the kids for the parents to read with them. It's a complete joke.

 

We went shopping for supplies recently and the lists for the local school, various grades, were hanging up. They look much like the OP's list. The store (little local general store) had put together baskets for each of the grades even (which is nice for school-mommies when you think about it). There wasn't one that was less than $200.

 

We just laughed and bought our refill pencil leads (ds prefer a mechanical pencil), erasers, paper,folders, and a few other odds and ends. The one thing we splurged on was a new cool binder for ds to keep all his stuff in. Spent $30 total.

[Pamela H in Texas]

my kids went to 1st and 4th grade (well, 8 weeks <sigh>) and it cost us MUCH more to get the school supplies and school clothes than it had to homeschool in the years prior to that. On top of that, we were homeless, hubby was out of work, and I was working for practically nothing. And then all the trouble school ended up being....it would have made MUCH more sense to keep them home and just have what we thought would have been a bad school year (it actually didn't end up being a bad year at all once they were home).

[Impish]

When Diva was in ps, the whole 'supply' thing made me nuts. The list included something like 10 glue sticks. I asked the teacher if they were eating them for snack. Seriously, 10 glue sticks per kid! And nothing, NOTHING is sent home at the end of the year as being 'extra'. They're simply kept. We've never been a family with a lot of extra money, most of the time we're delighted to get all the bills paid and still have grocery money! So the idea that we buy stuff to go into a common bin ticked me off something fierce. I wanted to supply MY child, not the classroom. I frankly didn't have the extra cash to be supplying more than my child, and it ticks me off that I'd be expected to. Plus, the list wasn't brand specific, and I much prefer Crayola to dollar store, and bought accordingly. So, I refused. Told the teacher that I would supply Diva with what SHE needed, everything was labelled, and I would send in things as they needed to be replentished for HER, not the entire classroom. I also didn't want Diva getting dollar store stuff when we'd bought her name brand. Teacher was ticked, but too bad.

 

I never had to send even HALF of what was on the list.

[Night Elf]

What if you can't afford all this stuff, what do you do? I haven't got $100 to spend on school supplies for each kid, and I only have two.

 

I think that is one of the reasons that supply lists are so extensive. They know that not all children will bring in the required supplies. If extra is brought in by people who can afford to do so, it covers the kids who didn't bring in the supplies.

[Perry]

My kids are going back to ps this fall. So far, on the middle schoolers I've spent $300 for school supplies and $300 for enrollment (includes activity fees, yearbook and some lunch money). I haven't bought supplies for my high schooler yet but have spent at least $500 on pom related expenses for her.

 

What is most irritating is they won't use half the stuff I bought, and I won't get most of it back at the end of the year. And do middle schoolers really need markers glue and scissors at school?

[Impish]

My kids are going back to ps this fall. So far, on the middle schoolers I've spent $300 for school supplies and $300 for enrollment (includes activity fees, yearbook and some lunch money). I haven't bought supplies for my high schooler yet but have spent at least $500 on pom related expenses for her.

 

What is most irritating is they won't use half the stuff I bought, and I won't get most of it back at the end of the year. And do middle schoolers really need markers glue and scissors at school?

Count on getting NOTHING back, other than what your child has actually used.

One supply list a friend had last year, included dry erase markers and eraser :glare: Like the kid is going to use that, right? Nope. Child never did....but it didn't come home either. "We don't know what belongs to who..." was what she was told :glare:

[lgm]

This weekend is tax-free weekend here in TN so we went school shopping yesterday. To give you some idea of how much money I saved our tax rate is almost 10% and I saved $80 and almost all clothes came from a second hand store.

 

First there is the required school supply lists. In our county the list are very specific. Here is an example:

 

36 Ticondaroga #2 presharped pencils

1 Papermate Pink Pearl Eraser

1 Hand held Pencil Sharpener

1 Package Crayola Classic Washable Broad Tip Markers 10 count

1 Package Crayola 12 count Colored Pencils

1 Package Crayola 24 Count Crayons

3 Sanford Expo Low Odor Black Dry Erase Markers

1 Pair Fiskar Brand Scissors

1 Large Elmers Glue Stick

1 Sharpie Black Fine Tip Permanent Marker

1 Fiskar Clear Flexible 12" Ruler

1 Three Ring Pencil Holder that fits in Notebooks

1 Backpack

I Green Pocket Folder

2 College Ruled, 100 page, Black Mead Composition Notebook

2 Packages of College Ruled Loose leaf Notebook Paper

5 Pocket Dividers

5 Tab Dividers

2 2" Note Book Binders

3 College Ruled Spiral 3 Subject Notebooks with plastic Covers

3X3" Post-it Notes in 3 Colors

3 Different Color Highlighters

2 Packages Scotch Brand Clear Tape in Dispensers

1 Box Kleenex Brand 2 Ply Tissue in Large Box w/at least 120

1 Roll Viva Brand Paper Towels

1 Package Clorox Brand Wipes - 35 count.

1 Package of Glad quart size Freezer Bags with Zip Locks at least 30 count.

 

Are you Kidding me? Since when did they get so specific? Anyhow, I have two kids in PS and that alone set me back at least $200.

 

This is just crazy. How do less fortunate people afford to send their kids to PS?

 

QUOTE]

 

I wish the school district could figure out how to buy from the dollar store in bulk; it would save everyone quite a bit.

 

I learned to take the list to open house and ask the teacher what she really needs. Half the time the list is clearly 20 years old and they don't use some of the items any more..short on secretarial help over the summer.

 

I use discarded binders..the ones that will last the year are never under $3.50 each at the store, so recycling binders alone saves a bundle. Just ask anyone you know that works for the government in an office setting.

 

For comp books, you can use a lot of them again the next year. I just rip out the 20 or so pages that were used, put a sticker on the front and off it goes for another round of use.

[hsmamainva]

Here's my youngest daughter's school supply list:

 

We bought everything at Target yesterday, because it's one of Virginia's tax-free school shopping days.

 

1 pack of water color paints - $1.00

4 hardback composition notebooks (black & white speckled) - $4.00

2 large boxes of tissues - $2.00

1 pencil box - $1.00

1 box of 24 regular crayons - $1.50

1 pair of safety scissors - $1.00

1 backpack - $10.00

1 lunchbox - $5.00

1 pack of number 2 pencils with erasers - $1.00

1 quart size box of Ziploc freezer bags - $2.00

8 jumbo glue sticks - $2.00

1 dry erase marker - $0.50

1 hand sanitizer - $2.00

 

So we spent around $35.00 to equip our youngest for her upcoming school year

[PollyOR]

My oldest attended public school. I DO NOT miss it!

[fshinkevich]

My two oldest have been in public school from the beginning (although this year one of them will homeschool) and it is just insane, and seems to get worse every year. Every kid has those crazy long lists, a lot of it they don't even need. I remember in 5th grade my daughters teacher had so much kleenex it took up an entire wall. Then every single month I was asked to donate $20 or more dollars for something - a party, a teacher xmas gift, teachers bday gift, end of year gift. That didn't even include the PTA donations and things they ask for.

 

My kids would get hot lunch a couple times a week and more than once they would take their money at the beginning of the line, and the lunches would all sell out by the time the got there so they would just get a milk. My kids would come home without having eaten ANYTHING, and we also did not get refunded for the money. They paid the full lunch price for a 25 cent carton of milk.

 

And the school uniforms are ridiculous too. The girls skirts have to be this specific pattern that can only be purchased at one store, and it cost $50 for one! They also have to have only black or white polo shirts - who wants to buy white shirts for their kids to wear everyday? So I had to find the black shirts, which last year was only available at Lands End. I think this year some of the less expensive companies have started carrying black, but they didn't have them previously.

 

Then every year they lay teachers off, talk about taking away all the extra programs like music (actually the elementary schools around here have no art, music, or even science unless the PTA pays for it, so if you are at a school with a lot of low income families you are not getting those programs), kids share books, etc. And we are in a very rich area - I have heard horror stories of schools where the air is toxic, everything is broken, etc.

 

I really don't understand where all the money is going, it's very upsetting.

[Chelle in MO]

Just ridiculous lists, I agree! Our small homeschool group has had the privilege of helping a local single mom w/school supplies for her 3 kids for the past 3 years. She sends us their lists and we volunteer for items. People also provide household necessities and grocery/Wal-Mart cards, too.

 

It's great when several people can pitch in to help. Everyone is blessed!

 

Hang in there, KidsHappen!

 

Chelle

[elegantlion]

 

I wish the school district could figure out how to buy from the dollar store in bulk; it would save everyone quite a bit.

 

I learned to take the list to open house and ask the teacher what she really needs. Half the time the list is clearly 20 years old and they don't use some of the items any more..short on secretarial help over the summer.

 

I use discarded binders..the ones that will last the year are never under $3.50 each at the store, so recycling binders alone saves a bundle. Just ask anyone you know that works for the government in an office setting.

 

For comp books, you can use a lot of them again the next year. I just rip out the 20 or so pages that were used, put a sticker on the front and off it goes for another round of use.

 

:iagree: That's exactly what we do. I was quite surprised how few supplies I needed for this year. This thread is leaving me shaking my head and making me glad we are able to homeschool.

[secular_mom]

 

Just for your information -- some teachers don't wish for you to write the kids' names on the supplies is - get this - some parents have such bad handwriting and even do not write their kid's name correctly! No joke!

That's just sad.

[MBM]

I haven't read all of the responses, but we just spent about $200 for my son's high school math class.

 

math books, used = $50

calculator = $150 (school sells them at cost)

 

Our area high schools require students to buy their own books. That can run $500 easily. Then there are lab fees, supplies, and extracurricular costs. We also have to buy uniforms (my son goes to a Catholic school and a local public high school). That runs me about $300 per year, but I also buy new. Our school sells used uniforms for a few dollars and even gives them away for free if necessary.

[hornblower]

Color me gobsmacked.

I never knew the school supplies were pooled! That is insane.

 

And consider this - I grew up & went to elementary school in communist Poland. We all had to get our own supplies (1 textbook/subject, 1 composition notebook/subject, 1 pencil box with a fountain pen, pencil, eraser, ruler), 1 sheet of blotting paper. The supplies were ours. They 'lived' in our school bag at our feet & went home with us each day for homework.

 

I know the teacher had some extra supplies for when things broke or for the kids whose parents hadn't managed to scrounge up something - this was a time of huge shortages, and rationing - but families mostly managed. Kids also shared. There were rich kids with connections, or relatives abroad who sent parcels etc, and some kids had fancier things..... it was a very strange variety of good old communism LOL.

[Impish]

My friends that have kids in ps moan every year about their lists. I'm not much help to them, since I'm willing to point out that I homeschool Diva officially, the 2 Littles unofficially *they aren't registered til time for gr 1* and spend less in consumables for all my kids than they're being demanded to supply for one kiddo. Heaven help the parents that have more than one child!

[mommaduck]

Another reason that encourages those that can to home educate. Seriously. All of that and avoiding the peer pressure fashion buys that those with low income cannot afford. If we didn't homeschool, #1 I know my kids would not get as good of an education #2 we live in a rough area as far as schools go #3 I would spend more on ps than on hs #4 I would not be able to keep up with all my children #5 my kids would literally never see their Dad (he would be in bed when they would leave for school and at work when they would get home...it's bad enough that he has only had 2 days off in the past 6wks, but at least he still has a job).

[mrsrevmeg]

When my two older kids were still in ps, my husband was in the process of a job change. We had one in K and one in 4th. They were in separate schools. We were asked to pay a *donation fee* at each school. We did not want to pay that because of him being out of a job for a few weeks. (Never mind the outrageous lists that we were expected to provide, and did, like 6-24 count packs of crayons, 8-10 packs of markers) The first week of school we got a *reminder* that we had not paid our fees. The dun letter left of the word *donation*. We did pay the fees, but not willingly. It is ridiculous that parents are given a huge list of things to provide. The school my neice used to go to expect the students to provide toilet paper, reams of copy paper, chalk, packs of certain color construction paper, dry-erase markers, baby wipes, chlorox wipes, paper towels, ziplock bags and who knows what else.

[secular_mom]

I think it's reasonable to talk to the teachers and ask them what the children REALLY need, in case it's the office workers making the lists.

But, I would rather take extras for the kids who don't have supplies than have children in school without supplies. It isn't right there are stupid projects receiving govt funding while school's don't have the means to supply some/all of the basics, but it is what it is. It isn't right to expect teachers to spend the money they are earning by teaching our children, to turn around and pour THEIR money into supplies for OUR/YOUR kids.

It's much easier for those who CAN afford it, to supply extra items (I mean, $0.25 for an extra box of crayons isn't going to break anyone's budget) so that ALL of the students have what they need in the classroom and so ALL of the students can LEARN in class- instead of arguing over sharing one item, etc.

If the teachers are spending their own money for supplies, what is their incentive to keep working?

[Impish]

I think it's reasonable to talk to the teachers and ask them what the children REALLY need, in case it's the office workers making the lists.

But, I would rather take extras for the kids who don't have supplies than have children in school without supplies. It isn't right there are stupid projects receiving govt funding while school's don't have the means to supply some/all of the basics, but it is what it is. It isn't right to expect teachers to spend the money they are earning by teaching our children, to turn around and pour THEIR money into supplies for OUR/YOUR kids.

It's much easier for those who CAN afford it, to supply extra items (I mean, $0.25 for an extra box of crayons isn't going to break anyone's budget) so that ALL of the students have what they need in the classroom and so ALL of the students can LEARN in class- instead of arguing over sharing one item, etc.

If the teachers are spending their own money for supplies, what is their incentive to keep working?

I understand the issues facing teachers. My cousin is one, married to one, and a good friend teaches in ps.

 

That being said, as a parent whose struggled with finances more than not, I deeply resented a supply list that was easily 3x what my child could possibly use. Its not a matter of .25, its a matter of spending 2/3 more than I had to...and thats a low estimate, because I'm pretty certain that I don't even spend 1/3 of what the school stuff cost for consumables now that we homeschool .

[Tree House Academy]

Oh and please don't forget fund raisers, extras they need that you find out about the first day of school (this happened to use every year), money for the teacher's b-day gift and other randomness, field trips, extra milk and ice cream at lunch, school lunches, and then don't forget the toys your kids sees someone else playing with (DSi, Wii, etc) that they beg and beg and beg you for. Oh the list is endless. I spent 2K on homeschooling last year (we tried Calvert first - big mistake) and it was still LESS than I spent for 1 child to go to ps with all the extras.

 

And that is public school. Send them to a nice private school and you are looking at about 15K a year per kid!

Edited August 8, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[Geo]

What? School fees? I live in NC and have never heard of school fees. I do see supply lists posted at our Walmart for the elementary grades but have never sent a child to ps in elementary. I have never heard anyone complain about it, so I doubt they are as burdonsome as the one posted here. I have had only one child attend ps here, the high school. No fees, no supply lists. The teachers in certain classes have told her what they recommend she buy for the semester, but it is still up to her whether she follows those recommendations. We did buy a $10 scientific calculator for geometry in tenth grade. When she took Algebra ll, she had the choice of buying a very expensive $200-300 graphing caculator or borrowing one from the school. Guess what we chose? We did sign a "contract" that if it was lost or abused we were responsible to pay for it....fair enough. She is on the golf team this year and the coach is trying to get the local golf course to loan sets of clubs to members who are hard pressed to buy them. They already have free memberships there. There was a request once for donations of Germ-X because the flu was running rampant through the school and they wanted it supplied for coming and going at the door of each classroom. That's just smart. No uniforms here, either. I am sorry to hear about the practices in other states. I don't understand the contrast. We live in a small country town, could that be the difference? Oh, wait...the cafeteria is outrageously expensive, imo. We have abandoned it completely. Besides, the food isn't healthy at all. My daughter takes her lunch, and often (in the winter) the teachers will let her heat stuff in their personal microwaves.

 

Geo

Edited August 8, 2009 by Geo

[secular_mom]

I understand the issues facing teachers. My cousin is one, married to one, and a good friend teaches in ps.

 

That being said, as a parent whose struggled with finances more than not, I deeply resented a supply list that was easily 3x what my child could possibly use. Its not a matter of .25, its a matter of spending 2/3 more than I had to...and thats a low estimate, because I'm pretty certain that I don't even spend 1/3 of what the school stuff cost for consumables now that we homeschool .

 

But I said that people who are ABLE to, should not have a problem buying a few extra items. That way the children of struggling families will not have to choose between school supplies and groceries.

It really would be easier though, if we could just give money to the teacher and they could buy the supplies. They could figure out how much it would cost for supplies for one student, and then send a letter stating such and also mention that some students are not able to buy their own supplies and ask for an extra donation to cover those students.

[Impish]

But I said that people who are ABLE to, should not have a problem buying a few extra items. That way the children of struggling families will not have to choose between school supplies and groceries.

It really would be easier though, if we could just give money to the teacher and they could buy the supplies. They could figure out how much it would cost for supplies for one student, and then send a letter stating such and also mention that some students are not able to buy their own supplies and ask for an extra donation to cover those students.

Problem is, the school hounds the crap out of you if you haven't sent everything on the list. Hence why I asked if the kids were eating glue sticks for snack. Reality is too that there are lots of stuff left over at the end of the year, which doesn't get sent home at all. So what happens to that? It doesn't seem to be reflected in the school supply list for next year...

 

Honestly, just grateful to homeschool and not deal with that sort of crap any more.

[Pamela H in Texas]

My private school is $4000 per year plus $200 registration (subsequent kids are 20% off tuition and 125 for registration). The student's supply list:

 

3 1 inch binders (no characters or sayings allowed)

1 large package of pencils

1 box of colored pencils

 

I have everything else covered for the students. I have considered asking for a few more things to be added to the list, but just haven't. I figure I can handle the rest. We do have a "uniform" but is much looser than the public school. The idea is to make it simple for parents while having basic standards.

 

In later years, the list will be slightly more, I'm sure. The price will be slightly more also (though the price is the same for 2010-2011 for students who attend this year). But I can't imagine charging $15K and having parents look for $100 in supplies.

[Supertechmom]

You can refuse. Check your state laws. Legally our state can not collect the fees. They can threaten you, they can make it miserable for you but they can not refuse to let your child attend school or take the classes because you didn't pay for the school fee or send in supplies. My sis's kids were in public school and they had one friend who would not pay any school fees ( around $150 elementary fee for a child to attend public school and that's before supplies that's just to enter school. High school can easily run $400.00 just to park at the school and take the classes) But anyway, she wouldn't pay. They did everything in their power to convince her to pay and she kept going back to state law and showing them the "free" public school option listed in the law. They refused to admit her children one year on the first day. She returned with the police.:D By the time she had filed a police report showing that the Principal was refusing her children entrance to the school due to lack of payment (so she wouldn't get in trouble with truancy), the state attorney's office was on the phone. I'm pretty sure she was never asked to pay another fee again from that day forward. High school was another issue. You have to pay for the ap classes. They tried to make her kids take the basic classes since she wouldn't pay for ap classes. Her kids took the ap classes. They also got to park in the parking lot for free (50.00 fee per car even if it is for the same student) after parking in the road and the police got involved with that one again.

 

I'm all for the whole we should help out with the supplies but honestly it goes way beyond that anymore. Most of the supplies are crap that get used for one project. No matter how poor you are, you can still send you child with a spiral notebook and a pencil. They will still get an education without markers, crayons and such. I listen to too many teachers rant in SS about how they insist on certain notebooks each year because the 5th grade teachers want 3 inch rings and the 4th graders used 2 inch rings. So the parent gets to buy a new trapper notebook instead of using the old one. Or the teacher who said she will not accept bookbags from last year because every child should have a new one each year. Or they need 15 3 prong folders because each project needs to have it's own cover and she isn't going to return the folders to the kids before they need another. Now granted maybe that makes it easier somehow when you have 30 of them at a time but would a staple really not be sufficient to hold a 4 page report?? I went thru the trash cans one year at the end of school for a cub scout project and pulled out well over 100 hundred 3 prong folders. Used once. That's wasteful of both the parent's money and our world's resources.

 

I spend less per year on 3 kiddos from middle school to preschool (including school books, curriculum,, and supplies)than my friends and neighbors spend just to be able to attend that "free" public school. And that's at the start of the year. Sometime around Jan, they get a new list of all the things that have run out and what needs to be sent in. I think it is wasteful and should be stopped.