This is my annual complaint about how expensive PS is.

[KidsHappen]

:rant:Yesterday we went to Target and bought just the supplies on their list that I didn't already own plus they each got a locker kit. The totals were $100 each. Shoes were a total of $150 for three pairs each (we are talking just plain old athletic shoes). School fees with be $50 each and it will be $50 each for their lunch accounts for the first month. I just got their haircut and they still need their sports physicals. So I have spent $500 so far and I haven't even bought clothes yet.:glare: Luckily, we shop at Plato's Closet so hopefully we will be able to get all that we need for fairly reasonable prices. Anyhow, I will have easily spent $1000 by the first day of school. I never spent that much money for curriculum in a single year.:rant:

[Tammy]

and was floored by the items listed....like, toilet paper, papertowels, hand soap, etc.

 

.

[freetobeme]

my oldest is in public high school. now i understand why her school makes a big deal out of providing school supplies for k-12. i remember taking tissues to elementary school, but toilet paper and hand soap? wow. . .

i will be spending bucks though. . .it's her senior year and all. . .

[GoVanGogh]

My mom buys back to school supplies as a 'gift' for all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (Except us, since we homeschool and "don't need supplies." :001_huh:) She was just telling me how much money she spent. Yikes.

It was funny listening to her rant about buying facial tissues, trash bags, air fresheners, hand soap and the like - and how much school supply lists have changed since my sister and I were in school many moons ago. She asked me why every child had to bring in 24 pre-sharpened pencils and how many I thought we went through in a year. Um. Maybe one. Two at the most.

 

We are on our fourth year of homeschooling and I am just now realizing how much money we save on clothing by homeschooling. Our son does have more 'play clothes' than many children, but I don't buy many nicer outfits. Two or three outfits is enough to get by. I find that when we go on vacation - and I want him dressed nicer and we don't have easy access to a washer/dryer - that we need to buy him clothes.

[Impish]

I've seen lists that friends had, and it always blew my mind the insanity of it.

 

Diva was in ps til mid grade 3, and I remember her 'needing' 10 glue sticks in gr 1. I asked the teacher if they were having them for snack. :lol: I told her I'd send more supplies when Diva ran out, that I couldn't afford to be supplying the classroom, just my child.

 

That's the real insanity...all the supplies get pooled, nothing gets sent home at the end of the year...so what happens to the cpl of hundred glue sticks? (classes here are 25-30 kids)

 

I wonder if there's an ebay market for extra supplies? :glare:

[mktkcb]

So.....what happens if you just "opt out"? I mean it's not like they can keep your kid from coming to school if they don't get their list filled out.... I'm not saying I would, I'm just wondering what they do?

[FairProspects]

Granted, we are only doing half-day K (and half-time homeschooling through a VA) but I was able to get everything on the PS list for $16, including the backpack. I was pleasantly surprised after all the horror stories. I did have to run around to different stores based on the deals though. Staples had their $.01 sales and Target had crayons & glue for $.25; the most expensive purchase was at Walgreens at $9.99 for 2 backpacks.

 

We don't have school fees here, so we won't have those, although I will need to address the clothing. I'm sure it gets much worse for high school, but we really don't have out of control lists for elementary. The only item for the classroom at all was a Kleenex box, and I don't think that is asking too much.

[mktkcb]

Probably because only about 25 % of the kids parents actually bring the stuff.

[Caroline]

So.....what happens if you just "opt out"? I mean it's not like they can keep your kid from coming to school if they don't get their list filled out.... I'm not saying I would, I'm just wondering what they do?

 

A lot of people do opt out. That is why the lists have huge numbers, and schools have gone to pooling the supplies. That way Johnny, whose parents wouldn't buy supplies, won't feel bad because he doesn't have crayons and glue sticks. And teachers spend their own money on supplies for kids who opt out.

[m0mmaBuck]

When DSS was a junior he really wanted to take a horticulture as his science. He was required to join FFA (National fees) AND then because he was participating in an extracurricular "club" (FFA... required for his class) we had to pay the school's $300/semester "activities fee." It made me wonder if they built a new greenhouse every year.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I've seen lists that friends had, and it always blew my mind the insanity of it.

 

Diva was in ps til mid grade 3, and I remember her 'needing' 10 glue sticks in gr 1. I asked the teacher if they were having them for snack. :lol: I told her I'd send more supplies when Diva ran out, that I couldn't afford to be supplying the classroom, just my child.

 

That's the real insanity...all the supplies get pooled, nothing gets sent home at the end of the year...so what happens to the cpl of hundred glue sticks? (classes here are 25-30 kids)

 

I wonder if there's an ebay market for extra supplies? :glare:

 

 

Locally, someone found a bunch of unused school supplies in the dumpster at the end of the year. :glare: So, TPTB made a big stink and no one is allowed to go through the school dumpsters....

[Barry Goldwater]

A lot of people do opt out. That is why the lists have huge numbers, and schools have gone to pooling the supplies. That way Johnny, whose parents wouldn't buy supplies, won't feel bad because he doesn't have crayons and glue sticks. And teachers spend their own money on supplies for kids who opt out.

 

from each according to his means, to each according to his need...

[MariannNOVA]

I agree - when older dds were in private school and in public school (25 years ago) the lists were as extensive and expensive as they are now (adjusting for the 25 years). When the 3 youngers were in school, same story.

 

I wanted to comment, though, you have a PLATO'S CLOSET!!!!! So do we -- I love it!

[Lara in Colo]

I always balked at the 'required' two sets of dry erase markers for first graders. (thats 10.00 per child) and the ziplock bags (they use more than me!!) I did rebel against the teacher supplies (red pencils and sticky pads)

I do really miss decorating the lunch boxes--I made the cutest ones!!

 

Lara

 

A good plan (that my SIL does) is to bring half at school start and half at XMAS--they really need more tissue and hand sanitizer then, plus you can ask what they NEED and fulfill that specific need.

Edited July 27, 2010 by Lara in Colo

[LibraryLover]

My PS child's music fees to the school is $100 for the entire year. The fee for AP art classes at the high school is $0 (beyond my real estate taxes). The countinuing ed art classes my hsing teen takes at the local uni are $400/crack.

 

I know some people have to pay a ton to their schools, but our school is a bargain.

 

They even removed the bus fee, which I did think was ridiculous. The papers/binders/pencils are the same for both my schooler and unschoolers. We tend towards buying paper, pencils, tissue etc on sale. The HS provides books for free, but our hsing books are not free. We buy a lot of toilet paper and I swear my hsers eat glue sticks. We bought LL Bean backpacks years ago, so that's no longer an expense.

Edited July 27, 2010 by LibraryLover

[m0mmaBuck]

DS's former PS did give the leftover supplies back to the kids at the end of the year... He would come home with a gallon ziploc bag full of crayons, pencils, a scissor, glue sticks, etc...

[Ali in OR]

I'm against the socialized school supplies. If you have your own items and take care of them, you can actually re-use them year after year. We bought colored pencils years ago when we started home schooling. We don't need to buy new ones each year--and my kids color a lot! Maybe it's not a big deal when you can find sale pencils for $1 a box, but it does just drive a lot of consumerism that shouldn't really be necessary. I don't mind buying kleenex or clorox wipes for the classroom, but I don't want to buy a ton of pencils etc. that are far more than my child would reasonably use in a year. And I don't want to provide supplies for everyone else's kid--just my own. There is a big school supply give-away for the teachers here as well as school supply drives for kids in need. Parents should be able to supply just what is needed for their own child.

[Jeannie in NJ]

wow am I lucky, this will be ds's 3rd year in public school and I have had to buy nothing. No list is sent home and I was told the first year that all supplies are covered by the school and ds just needs a backpack which he still takes his from years ago that was just lying around the house. I do live in a very rich school district, lots of multi million homes here (not ours but we are surrounded by these expensive homes). Now there are massive school budget cuts but I still have not received a supply list nor know if I will receive one.

 

Dd went to public high school last year (she left after 3 marking periods and will continue to be homeschooled) and she went to a county high school that is in the poorest part of the county. She had to bring in for her own use 3 binders and 4 notebooks and pencils, that was all. The school supplied the calculators.

[msjones]

In the schools where I worked, we were not allowed to make requests like that. The kids were expected to show up, hopefully with a backpack, and that was it.

 

Our staff supply room had pencils, erasers, paper, folders, rulers, crayons, paints, glue, and scissors. There was no need to send home an extensive supply list.

 

I did usually buy some things for the class during the August school supply sales -- the 1 cent spiral notebooks, for example. And I bought tons of books at the library books sales.

 

It wasn't until my son attended public K that I had even heard of that type of supply list. I'm hoping the OP lives in a well-to-do area.

[vonfirmath]

I've seen lists that friends had, and it always blew my mind the insanity of it.

 

Diva was in ps til mid grade 3, and I remember her 'needing' 10 glue sticks in gr 1. I asked the teacher if they were having them for snack. :lol: I told her I'd send more supplies when Diva ran out, that I couldn't afford to be supplying the classroom, just my child.

 

That's the real insanity...all the supplies get pooled, nothing gets sent home at the end of the year...so what happens to the cpl of hundred glue sticks? (classes here are 25-30 kids)

 

I wonder if there's an ebay market for extra supplies? :glare:

 

In their defense, I am a Sunday school teacher (3 year olds). We only meet 1 Sunday a week and only have gluing activities about 2 Sundays in a month (and only 2 hours a Sunday). And we still find ourselves needing new glue sticks by the end of the year. So I could easily see going through 4-6 in a year of everyday type classes.

[MaMa2005]

So.....what happens if you just "opt out"? I mean it's not like they can keep your kid from coming to school if they don't get their list filled out.... I'm not saying I would, I'm just wondering what they do?

 

I was wondering the same thing, too. We are buying our grandchildren their supplies this year (our son has walked out on his family :cursing: and it's just our DIL and the kids). We've done well on the school supplies by really hitting the sales. However, our grandson is a junior this year and his class fee is $175 :eek:. He cannot get his schedule until he has paid his class fee. So my frugal self just said not to pay it. Apparently, the students sit in the cafeteria for the first couple of weeks if they don't pay and basically do independent study. From what I have heard, the embarrassment to the children is so great that the parents always wind up paying. Yes, we are paying his fee, but it is still a burr under my saddle. Between some of the crazy supplies and extra fees, I feel like the schools are practicing extortion!

[iquilt]

I was reading the lists here and again thankful that I don't have to go thru that. We have new notebooks, but as far as supplies we are using everything that we already have from last year.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Wow, suddenly my Rainbow and Amazon orders aren't looking so bad after all! :D

 

My son was in PS last year and we were asked to supply the classroom with things like Clorox wipes, ziplock bags, dry erase markers, snacks, etc throughout the year. But they didn't send an itemized list for each child. The teacher just kept a running list in the weekly newsletter of what she currently needed and people sent as they could.

[Ohdanigirl]

So.....what happens if you just "opt out"? I mean it's not like they can keep your kid from coming to school if they don't get their list filled out.... I'm not saying I would, I'm just wondering what they do?

 

I think this is part of the reason why they as for so much. I remember there being students whose parents didn't send materials when I was a kid. The teacher grabbed some from the pool. Funny though, the parents said they didn't have money, but I recall that many of them always had name brand clothes on and one of the girls father owned a store. I guess that is a whole other thread though.

 

Danielle

[AuntieM]

I know one teacher who will be hs-ing her kids after retiring in spring '09. Her home classroom is now stocked with leftovers from her classroom supply cabinet. :glare:

 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the list for dd's private school supplies (K) included a note at the bottom asking that each item be individually labeled with the student's name. No pooling, but hopefully genuine sharing as the need arises.

 

FWIW, I think the glue sticks dry up due to poor capping faster than all the glue actually gets used.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Confession time. Once I found out they just pool all the stuff I just quit sending it all. I sent what my child would conceivably use in a year. Period. No one ever asked me why so I concluded I had been sending 12 glue sticks and 30 pencils to supply all the kids whose parents didn't send any. Grrrr. Not a worry now luckily.

[OnTheBrink]

So.....what happens if you just "opt out"? I mean it's not like they can keep your kid from coming to school if they don't get their list filled out.... I'm not saying I would, I'm just wondering what they do?

 

When my son was in PS, if you didn't pay the "consumables fee" they sent you to collections and held his records.

[KidsHappen]

She asked me why every child had to bring in 24 pre-sharpened pencils and how many I thought we went through in a year. Um. Maybe one. Two at the most.

 

Yes, both kids had to have a package of 24 sharpened pencils and yet I still have to buy two or three more packages through the year. The school specifies exactly what kinds of pens and pencils that they must have so I have (2) 2 qt. ziplock bags full of pens and pencils that are not exceptable. I really hate having them around because we don't need or use them but there really isn't any point in giving them to any of the other kids as they can't use them either. Same thing with binders, every year they have to have binders with different features than the ones they needed last year so I now have an entire cabinet of binders that no uses. I don't get rid of these though because it never fails that they come home half way through the year and need one of the kinds I have. It just seems that the school create an awful amount of waste and expense.

[TravelingChris]

I would rather the parents of the school children pay these fees than the tax payers. What really gets me upset is huge full size buses running from early morning to dark with hardly any children, if not totally empty. Now I understand they need to get to where they are going but my solution is get vans for the small loads. Our local elementary school gets hearing impaired children coming in for a few hours. Each bus carries a few. Instead they should have vans or cars driving them. Unbelievable waste.

[Melinda in VT]

We're very lucky here. No supply list for the elementary school, and the junior high and high school lists are quite reasonable. (Basic supplies like paper, binders, and pencils, all for individual use.)

 

Keeping them in shoes and clothes is tricky some years, depending on growth spurts, but life here is pretty casual and their clothing needs are the same as when we homeschooled.

[silver]

Around here the supply list is very specific on what brands are acceptable. For example, they specifically state that we cannot send Rose Art brand art supplies.

 

I don't like the idea of pooled resources because I think the kids need to learn ownership. If they actually own their markers, they'll be more likely to cap them correctly. If they just throw them in a bin and dried out markers are replaced without their even knowing it, why would they learn to take care of things?

[missmoe]

I'm fine with buying school supplies. I'm not fine with the computer drive, the lab fees, the class fees, the special lock needed for the locker, the transportation fees, and the books I have to buy for a student at a public school. And then the fund raisers! Hate those. I can shop around and get deals on the school supplies. I actually have fun doing that. But trust me, the school is not doing the same for the things my fees cover.

[BMW]

This year the elementary school supplied each child in 5th grade with 4 spiral bound notebooks, their own boxes of crayons, 2 pens and a pencil... we were asked to supply glue sticks and I am sure that the teacher will have a "wish list" on her web page... for things like face tissue and hand sanitizer... I don't mind sending one thing a few times a year.

 

At the middle school the children are expected to arrive at school supplied with 1-2 3ring binders with dividers and paper and one of my sons is expected to have 7 plastic folders with brads and will need at least 6 spiral bound notebooks... and four highlighters... along with the other basics... I know because of siblings who have gone through before him that he will use it all in throughout the year.

 

Last year I spent about $1,000 in supplies and fees (class fees, combination locks, PE clothes and shoes...) that did not include clothing.

This year I am so happy! So far school has cost about $250. But, I have been frugal and saved any paper and supplies from the previous year that I could re-use and I didn't have to buy new PE clothes... and I did not purchase the school planners that they promote ($7.00 each). This is a rare year to have cost us so little...

[Sahamamama]

Diva was in ps til mid grade 3, and I remember her 'needing' 10 glue sticks in gr 1. I asked the teacher if they were having them for snack. :lol: I told her I'd send more supplies when Diva ran out, that I couldn't afford to be supplying the classroom, just my child.That's the real insanity...all the supplies get pooled, nothing gets sent home at the end of the year...so what happens to the cpl of hundred glue sticks? (classes here are 25-30 kids) I wonder if there's an ebay market for extra supplies? :glare:

 

:iagree:That's what I used to wonder when I'd see those lists (used to work in a school). Believe me, there is a big, gaping vortex in schools. It sucks in EVERYTHING -- pencils, glue sticks, binders, paper, pens, scissors (do NOT get me started on scissors), homework, textbooks, staplers (oh, let's not go there, either), and so on.

 

If I had a dime for every time a HIGH SCHOOL student [with 47 pockets on the pants he's wearing down around his ankles] came to me and said, "Miss _________, I need to hold [that is, "borrow"] your pen, I don't got no pen."

 

And I'm thinking, You're in my classroom because.....? :glare:

[Bee]

I don't mind sending extras in for the children who don't bring enough or who'se parents can't afford what is on the list. I have a half a zip-lock bag of erasers at home left over from hsing last year. It seems like every day a child at my house needs a new pencil because she can't find the one she used the day before (and the dog eats a few). I love to buy pens (my secret weakness). I'd love to donate some of my books to the school library because the books dd brings home are so old and worn out. I was appalled at the condition of the art supplies in the art room when we went for open house. I give the teachers credit for making do with the small budgets they have. I agree, as a parent with a child in ps, I'd much rather pay fees than expect other taxpayers to.

[Snickerdoodle]

No matter how you slice it, kids aren't cheap.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Last year, I almost blew a gasket when my kindergartener, in addition to all the other nonsense, had to bring in Twistable crayons, regular crayons, twistable colored pencils, AND markers. Exactly how much coloring are they going to do? On top of the 3 different kinds of storage bags, paper towels, kleenex, hand sanitizer, etc., I had to pay a $50.00 "materials" fee for each kid.

[fairfarmhand]

I just spent $500 for almost all of my curriculum for my 3 kids. That is the most I've ever spent on curriculum and I thought my dh's head was going to pop. I still have to buy some supplies, but I bet 20 bucks will cover it.

[dm379]

Last year I paid about $50 for dd's supplies. She needed several 3 subject notebooks and every single one of them came back at the end of the year brand new. Her science notebook had ONE page written in. I have enough notebooks and binders left over from ps to last until they're in high school.

[KidsHappen]

. . . and every single one of them came back at the end of the year brand new. Her science notebook had ONE page written in.

 

Oh, this is another thing that trips my trigger. The schools here use on-line textbooks and a workbook for all classes. At the end of the year, they bring home brand new workbooks that have never been used. Why? If the teachers don't use them then why does the schools keep buying them. I have a feeling that where a great deal of the school fees go. :glare:

[RoughCollie]

What about class trips? In 8th grade, 3 of 200 students stayed at school for the week doing nothing. The rest paid $800 each.

[AuntieM]

What about class trips? In 8th grade, 3 of 200 students stayed at school for the week doing nothing. The rest paid $800 each.

 

Oh my. That would certainly trip *my* trigger!

(Thanks, KidsHappen, for the fun new expression.)

[bettyandbob]

I have never paid as much for school supply lists as I did for hs curriculum and supplies I used in my hs. Not even close. Now, I am extremely picking about the materials I choose to use at home. I do look for things used and at discount, but supplying my hs was not cheap.

 

Also, no matter what I have to pay for trips to the barbershop, clothes and shoes so I wouldn't count those as a cost of school. Some public schools require uniforms, but clothing that fits uniform standards is readily available at stores like Target and Wallmart and is not more expensive than regular clothing. It can actually be cheaper to have a kid in a uniform all year. I've seen uniform clothes at the thrift shop and on freecycle too.

 

My dc's school do not specify brand and children are not penalized for not bringing in the materials. Do we punish children for their parents choices?:confused:Or their parents ability to pay? It appears the supplies are getting used up. Dd's teacher requested tissues midyear. Younger ds's teacher was buying gluesticks throughout the year.

 

My older 2 will not get a supply list until school starts. But generally, their lists request some kind of notebook, paper and writing supplies for their own use. One teacher gave extra credit to kids who brought in tissues, another teacher gave a "homework pass" for the same thing. My younger son is in elementary so he's still getting the big list of supplies that will be shared. However, I have never found it as expensive as you describe. Our schools also are not specific with brands, so generics and sales fill the list well.

[Laura Corin]

I've always found the lists I have heard about from the US mysterious. I posted recently about the cost of uniform (for private school) but the supplies lists are sensible: stationery, binders, pens, calculator....

 

Laura

[bairnmama]

Just out of curiosity, I picked up a couple of the lists from the schools here in town. Even though they are in the same county school system in the same town, each school generates their own supply list and I was shocked at the differences! For K, the lists varied from 10 glue sticks & 2 bottles of Elmer's glue & 4 boxes of 24 ct Craylola crayons, plus markers, pencils, spirals, index cards, and scissors (all name brand) to only 2 glue sticks, one 8 pack crayons, 2 spiral notebooks, 2 pkgs pencils, & 2 pocket folders (no brands listed). Then, when dd was ps, the teacher would send out a personal list for what he/she preferred to be used in class on the first day as well.

[BikeBookBread]

Around here the supply list is very specific on what brands are acceptable.

 

This is what I just found out (PDG is going to do PS for 1st for a lot of reasons). Specific brands are required. 1 blue plastic folder 1 red plastic folder. A black composition book. Her pencil pouch has to have a mesh window - are they afraid of smuggled contraband in 1st grade? :confused: She was SO DISAPPOINTED that she couldn't buy the cute girlie pouch that she fell in love with because it didn't have a mesh window, and she was so excited to buy a cute notebook but can't. So do you think they're trying to just level the playing field and take away individuality? Or isn't it that nefarious?

[Impish]

I would be a rebel and let her have the cute stuff. Most of dd's supply list for this year is reasonable stuff, but they also want 4th graders to have a calculator and a handheld spell checker! Here I thought we should still be teaching spelling to 9 yos.- silly me.:glare:

Yes! I remember the request for calculators in primary, and was blown away by it! Imagine, teaching kids math in grade 3 , 4 +! What a concept :glare:

[KidsHappen]

I would be a rebel and let her have the cute stuff. Most of dd's supply list for this year is reasonable stuff, but they also want 4th graders to have a calculator and a handheld spell checker! Here I thought we should still be teaching spelling to 9 yos.- silly me.:glare:

 

Yes, my sixth grader is required to have a jump drive and access to a computer and the internet. We do have those things but certainly there have to be people who don't. The 8th grader has to have a TI-30 calculator and in 9th they need the TI-83 which is $100. Luckily, I already have that from my older children.

[AuntieM]

Handheld spell checker?!!! I didn't know there was such a thing.

[LibraryLover]

Handheld spell checker?!!! I didn't know there was such a thing.

 

 

Nor did I! Now I want one. It will save me much time. lol Imagine...something I can keep in my purse. How helpful is that? Seriously, I am going internet shopping. :)