Public school supplies, ticked over excess

[Sneezyone]

Just for fun, my local public school supply list which doesn't look too excessive

 

Kindergarten Supply List

1 Clorox Cleaning Wipes

1 24 Crayola Crayons

1 Pencil Box (8 1/2" x 5 1/2") Clear or Plain (no graphics or pictures)

3 Pencils (wood)

2 Erasers

1 Fiskar pointed scissors

2 Glue sticks

1 Elmer's white bottle of glue (liquid)

Post-its (for new reading program)

1 Watercolor Paints (16 colors in a set)

1 fat blue tape

 

Grade 1:

1 wide ruled composition notebook

1 folder with 2 pockets

1 plastic pencil box approx. (8â€x5â€x3â€) that holds:

o 1 pair of student-sized scissors

o 1 box of 24 crayons

o 1 box of 24 colored pencils

o 2 or more glue sticks

1 container of Clorox cleaning wipes (75)

1 box of Kleenex/facial tissues

1 ream or pack of brightly-colored/neon paper 8 1â„2â€x11â€

1 pack of pre-sharpened #2 Dixon Ticonderoga pencils

 

That is refreshingly brief. My DD has a short supply list too but she came home the first week of school with specific requirements for each class that didn't match the list at all. Now, i send her with a binder, five tabs, paper and pencils. Everything else can wait. At her old private schools, they literally showed up with nothing and came home with whatever was required. The tuition and fees paid for supplies.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Sneezyone

[Insertcreativenamehere]

My kids are no longer in public school, but when I had a first grader, they requested 96 pencils per child. There were about 120 children in the first grade; what in the world are they doing with that many pencils? (As it turned out, I pulled him out of school a month into the school year, so he barely got to use those thousands of pencils!)

[Daria]

My kids are no longer in public school, but when I had a first grader, they requested 96 pencils per child. There were about 120 children in the first grade; what in the world are they doing with that many pencils? (As it turned out, I pulled him out of school a month into the school year, so he barely got to use those thousands of pencils!)

 

At the school where my kid went, each grade was asked for an extra large number of a certain supply to supply the specials for the whole school.  So, Kindergarten brought in 4 extra boxes of kleenex, which kept the art, music, drama and PE teachers stocked for the year.  First grade brought in extra glue sticks.  Second graders each brought in 2 boxes of colored pencils which went to the art teacher etc . . . 

[Dmmetler]

It seems more and more schools are requesting excess supplies under the guise of helping the kids who don't have supplies. When every kindergarten student needs to bring 40 glue sticks (a requirement in my district) it seems a bit ridiculous though. I mean that's a stick of glue per week per child. It seems to me that schools may need to rethink how supplies are handled.

 

I think it's good to help kids that can't afford supplies, I think it's good to help teachers that have to provide supplies out of their own pockets, but maybe schools need to handle it differently.

I will say, I thought the number of glue sticks requested for my DD's K class was excessive until the work started coming home. I swear every single page involved cutting and gluing. And there were probably 50 a week. Which may have been good, since DD didn't learn much academically that year, but did need lots of fine motor practice :).

[Guest]

A pencil a week seems excessive?

 

I can totally see how 7 boxes of crayons or 40 glue sticks is excessive, but kids go through pencils fast.

Really? My two older girls have had the same pencils for the last two years, maybe longer. One for their bible study and one for general school subjects. Now maybe the triangle German pencils just last forever but we still haven't worked through the eighteen pack I bought when they were in preschool! Edited July 8, 2017 by Arctic Mama

[Daria]

Really? My two older girls have had the same pencils for the last two years, maybe longer. One for their bible study and one for general school subjects. Now maybe the triangle German pencils just last forever but we still haven't worked through the eighteen pack I bought when they were in preschool!

 

Do the erasers still work?  In my experience, for kids who don't lose or break their pencils, the eraser is what goes first.  

 

I just googled German triangle pencils, and the ones I found on Amazon didn't have erasers.  They also cost 20 times as much as the kind of pencils my students use. So, I'm glad to know that they last a lot longer. 

[Rachel]

This is a very reasonable list. It seems appropriate for one child for the school year.

 

Just for fun, my local public school supply list which doesn't look too excessive

 

Kindergarten Supply List

1 Clorox Cleaning Wipes

1 24 Crayola Crayons

1 Pencil Box (8 1/2" x 5 1/2") Clear or Plain (no graphics or pictures)

3 Pencils (wood)

2 Erasers

1 Fiskar pointed scissors

2 Glue sticks

1 Elmer's white bottle of glue (liquid)

Post-its (for new reading program)

1 Watercolor Paints (16 colors in a set)

1 fat blue tape

 

Grade 1:

1 wide ruled composition notebook

1 folder with 2 pockets

1 plastic pencil box approx. (8â€x5â€x3â€) that holds:

o 1 pair of student-sized scissors

o 1 box of 24 crayons

o 1 box of 24 colored pencils

o 2 or more glue sticks

1 container of Clorox cleaning wipes (75)

1 box of Kleenex/facial tissues

1 ream or pack of brightly-colored/neon paper 8 1â„2â€x11â€

1 pack of pre-sharpened #2 Dixon Ticonderoga pencils

[SparklyUnicorn]

So crazy.  When did they start with these lists anyway?  We never had such things growing up.  They gave us what we needed until 6th (but we also didn't have anything fancy).  After that we only needed notebooks and pencils/pens.  And at no point did we need to stock the school with Ziploc bags or cleaning supplies.  Why don't the schools have some sort of budget to cover these items? 

[Janeway]

No, not dealing with this.  However, I don't think $100 for a supply list is completely out of line.  And are you sure they are all going on missions trips?  If so, complain.  Call the local paper.  Post on FB and see if others have the same concerns.

Just the teachers my children have. In the past, we used to live next door to a public school teacher and she would have a garage sale every spring with the left over supplies. I would buy the next years supplies from her stash. Another teacher I used to know would give me her left over supplies. But the teachers my children actually have generally have said this is where the supplies from their classrooms go.

[Guest]

Do the erasers still work? In my experience, for kids who don't lose or break their pencils, the eraser is what goes first.

 

I just googled German triangle pencils, and the ones I found on Amazon didn't have erasers. They also cost 20 times as much as the kind of pencils my students use. So, I'm glad to know that they last a lot longer.

No erasers, they're the gray faber castell ones. We use separate white erasers (the expensive awesome ones - staedtler) and those last forever too.

 

It's worth the extra cost for durability and we find the pencil grip/hold is improved with the shaft shape.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Arctic Mama

[Rachel]

So crazy. When did they start with these lists anyway? We never had such things growing up. They gave us what we needed until 6th (but we also didn't have anything fancy). After that we only needed notebooks and pencils/pens. And at no point did we need to stock the school with Ziploc bags or cleaning supplies. Why don't the schools have some sort of budget to cover these items?

We had lists for all of my growing up. It was pretty basic list though, more like a reminder for parents. My dad always hated that we had to buy Kleenex. We used toilet paper and home and felt like I could use that at school too. Fortunately my mom just bought the Kleenex.

[Rebel Yell]

They do not even bring home their scissors at the end of the year. I have to buy a new pair of scissors every year. New ruler, new everything.

That is just so wrong!

 

I'd be furious... I buy good quality supplies, especially for scissors. Why in the world can't the kids just have their own personal supply box, and buy/use/replace whatever they need? Mine all prefer mechanical pencils, and each a specific brand. NO WAY would I send in 48 of them, or why should my kid use a cheap junk wooden pencil if it isn't their preference and they have the means to buy and maintain what they like?

 

I also would have no problem with donating a limited amount of supplies for kids who's parents can't or won't supply them.

 

I have teacher friends in urban schools who use personal money to supply their classroom. They were my motivation for cleaning out all of my excess and unused/gently used school supplies- I gave her about a half dozen paper grocery bags full of pencils, paper, binders, notebooks, safety scissors, crayons... formher classroom or any other that needed it. I'm happy to have done that, but would not have been happy if just expected to do it every year, especially for supplies that don't get used, and absolutely not for a mission trip- and I DO support missionaries, but of my choice.

[catz]

Why don't the schools have some sort of budget to cover these items? 

 

I attended board and PTA at our neighborhood elementary.  The budget was BARE BONES and there were constant threats of more cuts.  They also cut Spanish and librarians while we were there.  It was nuts. 

 

I know kids in private schools who still have crazy lists like that and I can't figure out what that's all about. 

 

My kids go through pencils like crazy.  They also use them for theater and music too.  I buy 3-4 boxes a year. 

 

That said I would also not like it if school supplies from a public school were donated to mission trips.  I'd much prefer they cover kids coming in the fall who can't supply everything on their own. 

Edited July 8, 2017 by WoolySocks

[QueenCat]

Around here, most teachers keep what's in good shape for the next year, to help out with those who don't bring supplies. The stuff that's pretty worn gets tossed if none of the kids take it. The last week of school, they clean out desks & most teachers put out supplies that the kids are allowed to take stuff home from.

 

But if it was a non-religious mission trip, I would be fine with excess supplies going to it. There are lots of non-religious humanitarian groups that use these types of supplies.

[QueenCat]

So crazy.  When did they start with these lists anyway?  We never had such things growing up.  They gave us what we needed until 6th (but we also didn't have anything fancy).  After that we only needed notebooks and pencils/pens.  And at no point did we need to stock the school with Ziploc bags or cleaning supplies.  Why don't the schools have some sort of budget to cover these items? 

 

We had lists in elementary school, in the 1970s.  But for actual school supplies, not cleaning & paper products.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

We had lists in elementary school, in the 1970s.  But for actual school supplies, not cleaning & paper products.

 

 

Huh..I started early 80s.  Never had to bring anything in particular other than maybe a pencil.  But they even had those if someone didn't have one.  They gave us paper (didn't use notebooks until 7th).  They even gave us folders. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I attended board and PTA at our neighborhood elementary.  The budget was BARE BONES and there were constant threats of more cuts.  They also cut Spanish and librarians while we were there.  It was nuts. 

 

I know kids in private schools who still have crazy lists like that and I can't figure out what that's all about. 

 

My kids go through pencils like crazy.  They also use them for theater and music too.  I buy 3-4 boxes a year. 

 

That said I would also not like it if school supplies from a public school were donated to mission trips.  I'd much prefer they cover kids coming in the fall who can't supply everything on their own. 

 

Which is just crap shi*.  Locally they are about to pay the super 1/4 of a million dollars a year (for a poor district with 10,000 ish students which frankly he isn't worth).  And yet they can't afford a few pencils and crayons?

 

Here most of the supplies are provided by charities.  That I do know.

[QueenCat]

Huh..I started early 80s.  Never had to bring anything in particular other than maybe a pencil.  But they even had those if someone didn't have one.  They gave us paper (didn't use notebooks until 7th).  They even gave us folders. 

 

I remember having to have a pencil box, glue, pencils, markers, rulers, some kind of folder. Not sure what else. Most paper were xerox copies, but we had notebooks with looseleaf for some stuff starting around 3rd grade.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I remember having to have a pencil box, glue, pencils, markers, rulers, some kind of folder. Not sure what else. Most paper were xerox copies, but we had notebooks with looseleaf for some stuff starting around 3rd grade.

 

We still had the old ditto machines for awhile.  Remember those? 

[lynn]

Funny how supplies keep increasing when kids use more electronics in the classroom these days.

 

Our lists haven't been to excessive but I do know the excess will get used by kids who could not afford their own.

 

I don't remember having a supply list for school or going through pencils other than if if the pencil was shorter than your thumb you were given a new one. Makes me wonder how the kids today go through all those pencils? Quality not like it use to be? Electronic sharpeners vs old school hand cranked?

[Daria]

No erasers, they're the gray faber castell ones. We use separate white erasers (the expensive awesome ones - staedtler) and those last forever too.

 

It's worth the extra cost for durability and we find the pencil grip/hold is improved with the shaft shape.

 

I'm not saying they aren't a good investment, or judging your pencil choice. But I don't think you can compare the longevity of a $2.50 pencil without an eraser, that's used only for school work in a situation where an adult is directly supervising, with the longevity of a $0.12 pencil/eraser that a kid is carrying around all day, and taking to lots of different places for different purposes.  

 

My point is that judging a teacher because she asks for $6 worth of pencils for an entire year, when 2 of your pencils and 1 of your erasers also cost $6, seems unfair.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

I was under the impression teachers ask for more to make up for students who don't bring anything and not that they actually need 10 packs of pencils each.

 

Which fine and dandy, but I'd rather be asked to make a donation than have them demand I buy excessive amounts of stuff that then gets donated outside of the school.  I don't like that AT ALL.

 

 

[Daria]

Funny how supplies keep increasing when kids use more electronics in the classroom these days.

 

Our lists haven't been to excessive but I do know the excess will get used by kids who could not afford their own.

 

I don't remember having a supply list for school or going through pencils other than if if the pencil was shorter than your thumb you were given a new one. Makes me wonder how the kids today go through all those pencils? Quality not like it use to be? Electronic sharpeners vs old school hand cranked?

 

I think that electric sharpeners play a role, but I also think that the structure of kids' days have changed a lot.  

 

When I was in elementary school we spent the majority of our day sitting at our desk, and if we weren't sitting at our desk then whatever we were doing probably didn't involve school supplies, unless it was art supplies and our art teacher brought those with her when she came with her cart every other Thursday.

 

In the schools where I've taught, kids are up and moving from place to place all the time.  So they might use their pencil on the carpet for a mini lesson, and then move to the back table to use in their guided reading group lesson, and then they're back at their desk for independent writing until it's time to go to centers or editing partners or back to the carpet.  When they finally leave the classroom, they'll either take it to P.E.  or use a different one there, because integrating writing across the day is a big thing now.   

 

Plus, many kids don't have access to school supplies at home, so our teachers would instruct kids to keep pencils in their backpack for homework (another thing we didn't have until about 3rd grade).  

 

Across the day, that leads to many more opportunities to drop, step on, chew up, or lose a pencil.

[Arcadia]

Regarding pencils, my kids use them (many different brands) as drum sticks and also every time a pencil drops from table to floor there are chances of the graphite lead core breaking. My kids don't even use their pencils properly at home so I do not expect their public school kindergarten teachers who has thirty kids per class to supervise pencil usage. I was willing to donate more Dixon #2 pencils to their kindergarten classroom as the supply ran low as were other parents.

 

The pencils my kids kept dropping went from full length to half length very fast when sharpening by manual or electric sharpener.

 

Now I keep a few Ticonderoga pencils for exam use only so that my kids have decent pencils for bubbling scantron sheets for exams.

[heartlikealion]

Wow. I would try to find out more and address it at a PTA meeting or something. Talk to other parents first so you know if they feel the same way. I don't think that's right. Mission trip sounds religious to me and being that it's a public school that seems like a conflict. But not just that, many parents don't want to overspend.

 

I thought the list was overkill for ds last year (private school if it makes any difference). Like 3 containers of Clorox wipes per child? I don't know, maybe they were spread out across the school. Each boy in the class had to bring thermometer covers and girls had to bring some insect bite product. I am guessing those were for the whole school. I found the thermometer covers online and the box had a lot. Also, they had to bring a pack of paper towels. I think it was a 6pk. I looked online and the requirements for his grade have changed, but other grades have the Clorox wipes and paper towels. So yeah, I think they just did that to spread around the school. He had to bring a couple boxes of Kleenex last year but since he has allergies and got sick a couple of times I sent him with extra on occasion. He would say, "Mom, we already have tissue" and I'd say, "didn't you go through almost a whole box yourself?" lol. Over the summer I kept asking when we could drop off the supplies (they were supposed to have a day we could) but they didn't get back to me so I ended up having to help him carry all that junk inside with toddler in tow when I dropped him off. He was going to ride the school van that day and the bus driver admitted there was no room for it all.

 

I admit I didn't send all his notebook paper to school. I just refilled his binder over time. I thought the binder was too full with all the paper, but in hindsight I should have put it in his cubby hole so he didn't run out and come home telling me two days later he'd been borrowing paper. He frequently lost track of pencils. He did get to bring home his pencil box which had some items left in it like markers.

[Catwoman]

I haven't read the whole thread yet, so maybe this has already been answered, but is it even legal for a public school to donate excess supplies to a religious mission trip???

 

If there are excess supplies and they aren't being sent back home with the children at the end of the year, shouldn't they be saved for the following year's students to use?

 

This whole situation makes no sense to me.

[Catwoman]

We still had the old ditto machines for awhile. Remember those?

Ooh! Dittos! Ditto smell!

 

I still remember that odor!

[Alessandra]

I was so glad to get out of the elementary school supply extortion. Our district did a classwide list for each school, but the individual teachers would ask for different materials. I bought stuff on sale -- 25 cent crayons ar Target, folders at Staples when they were free or 10 cents. Things like post its I ordered from Discount School Supply or Classroom Direct. Some stuff I just omitted.

 

Things that were not on the lists, but a direct request from the teacher -- say a good quality scented marker -- those I bought, because I knew they would be used.

 

OPs list is excessive. Mission trips, even if not religious, should not depend on involuntary donations. I'd be tempted to ask for an itemized list of my donations and 501 c 3 paperwork on the mission.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Ooh! Dittos! Ditto smell!

 

I still remember that odor!

 

and the purple/blue ink...

[Janeway]

Regarding pencils, my kids use them (many different brands) as drum sticks and also every time a pencil drops from table to floor there are chances of the graphite lead core breaking. My kids don't even use their pencils properly at home so I do not expect their public school kindergarten teachers who has thirty kids per class to supervise pencil usage. I was willing to donate more Dixon #2 pencils to their kindergarten classroom as the supply ran low as were other parents.

 

The pencils my kids kept dropping went from full length to half length very fast when sharpening by manual or electric sharpener.

 

Now I keep a few Ticonderoga pencils for exam use only so that my kids have decent pencils for bubbling scantron sheets for exams.

All the pencils have to be the Ticonderoga brand on these lists. Fortunately, I have tons of those from a teacher that did not go to mission trips. 

[Janeway]

The PTA does not care and may even be a little bit behind this as they do sell the school supply packs as a fundraiser. 

[heartlikealion]

The PTA does not care and may even be a little bit behind this as they do sell the school supply packs as a fundraiser. 

 

whoa whoa whoa so they also take some of the supplies and package them as a set to sell to incoming students? or rearrange them and sell them as just genetic "back to school" supplies sets? Either way that seems messed up.

 

[madteaparty]

In our school district, you can choose not to send supplies in. They state so on the list "if you can't manage, we usually have extras. If you can afford, buy a second set". I buy a second set because I looove school supplies.

Edited July 8, 2017 by madteaparty

[Janeway]

whoa whoa whoa so they also take some of the supplies and package them as a set to sell to incoming students? or rearrange them and sell them as just genetic "back to school" supplies sets? Either way that seems messed up.

 

No..they use a provider called EPI. The provider packages them and then the PTA sells them and keeps a portion. So, the bigger the package, the higher the cost, the more the PTA brings in. Which is silly as our fundraising is so high that we are always way in the excess at the end of the year. And oddly, apparently, there is a rule or a law or something that does not allow more than a certain amount to be carried over from year to year, so a good portion of that is donated.   http://www.educationalproducts.com/schoolpacks.aspx

[Heathermomster]

DS only attended private school and always returned with supplies at the end of the year. I have never minded sending in bleach wipes, tissues, and paper towels because I felt like that would help reduce the sickness that he brought home. During first grade, a boy in his class had multiple food allergies. Son's teacher was a fanatic about washing hands, and as a result, DS didn't bring home much sick that year.

 

I'm the mom who randomly sent the teacher gifts of dark chocolate and dry erase markers. Yes, the back to school lists were insane. Son's school started partnering with Target. Families paid a set fee and the school would purchase supplies through Target for us.

[mom2scouts]

My dh was working next to a large office supply store one fall and watched as they dumped tons of leftover school supplies into the dumpster. They used permanent marker on some of it to "destroy" it. DH went and grabbed some of the stuff he could reach, but told me there was lots and lots more. He brought home so many brand new backpacks, rulers, crayon boxes, folders, markers, and unopened pen boxes that I haven't bought much for a couple years now and still have plenty left. I donated and gave away some of it too. I am horrified at the amount of waste when that stuff could've been donated to schools or school supply drives and written off on taxes.

[slackermom]

I remember one year my kid's ps teacher told me that only 2 parents sent in the recommended items, in a class of 25. I was one of them, so I guess I was covering one half of the class, and the other parent covered the other half. It was a high poverty level school. Nothing got shipped out for any mission!

 

One teacher we had at that school (second grade) didn't even bother with the supply lists. She put together a box for each kid, with their name on it, with pencils, crayons, glue sticks, etc., and it stayed on their desk. Kids could get their box replenished as needed. We just had to have a handful of things at home for homework. I don't know if the teacher got reimbursed. She was always getting mini-grants for things like field trips (a chartered bus cost about $300, so they usually took the public bus or subway if they could).

[frogger]

Do the erasers still work? In my experience, for kids who don't lose or break their pencils, the eraser is what goes first.

 

I just googled German triangle pencils, and the ones I found on Amazon didn't have erasers. They also cost 20 times as much as the kind of pencils my students use. So, I'm glad to know that they last a lot longer.

Our erasers disappear in a week. Well, at least for two kids.

[Arcadia]

Off topic: Target back to school sales has started. Parents are buying back to school supplies already here at the store.

[frogger]

My dh was working next to a large office supply store one fall and watched as they dumped tons of leftover school supplies into the dumpster. They used permanent marker on some of it to "destroy" it. DH went and grabbed some of the stuff he could reach, but told me there was lots and lots more. He brought home so many brand new backpacks, rulers, crayon boxes, folders, markers, and unopened pen boxes that I haven't bought much for a couple years now and still have plenty left. I donated and gave away some of it too. I am horrified at the amount of waste when that stuff could've been donated to schools or school supply drives and written off on taxes.

 

Yikes! Though I'm confused. The office supply store or the school dumped the items?

[City Mouse]

When I taught first grade ions ago, we teachers would get together at the end of the year and do an informal inventory of all the supplies that were left over, then adjust the next year's supply list to reflect what we did/didn't need. I remember cubbords full of construction paper, so we did not ask for additional construction paper for a couple of years.

 

we went through a huge amount of pencils and crayons each year but we only had enough left over to start out the first of the next school year while waiting for new supplies to be turned in.

 

One thing that I did like about the PTO sponsored supply packs is that some of the supplies were purchased in bulk rather than in individual student portions- think gallon bottles of glue rather that a gazillion small bottles of glue and reams of the nice handwriting paper instead of the cheap tablets. We got better quality supplies that way at a lower overall cost.

 

However, I am very happy that I do not have to worry about school supplies at my current online school.

[Arcadia]

At Target, Ticonderoga pencils 24 count is cheaper than Amazon

 

12 count $2.48

18 count $4.61

24 count $3.42

 

ETA:

Office Depot 24 count (black or yellow) is $3 for tomorrow to Saturday from my local Office Depot weekly ad.

Edited July 9, 2017 by Arcadia

[tori@thehomefront]

Ooh! Dittos! Ditto smell!

 

I still remember that odor!

My mom taught 3rd grade her whole career, and I felt so lucky that I used to get to crank that ditto machine, and run the erasers through the vacuum, and wash chalkboards, and punch out bulletin board letters.... 😄

[justasque]

The PTA does not care and may even be a little bit behind this as they do sell the school supply packs as a fundraiser. 

 

Ah.  Janeway, do they say you HAVE to purchase the supplies through them?  If not, I would probably decide whether or not I could do better in the sales and from what I had at home, label the heck out of my kids' stuff, and forgo the fundraiser.  It may be a convenience for some two-working-parent families to just send in the money, but I would be surprised if every family actually did it.  You might want to inquire as to what the particular teacher needs each child to have, and purchase accordingly.  Again - the way to influence things is to be involved.  Start going to every parent event, and you will begin to get a clearer picture of who are the movers and shakers in the parent community, and how you can be a positive force in making changes.  OR, you may decide that it's not worth your time, and just send in your money and move on.  Either is a valid choice.

[athomeontheprairie]

My dh was working next to a large office supply store one fall and watched as they dumped tons of leftover school supplies into the dumpster. They used permanent marker on some of it to "destroy" it. DH went and grabbed some of the stuff he could reach, but told me there was lots and lots more. He brought home so many brand new backpacks, rulers, crayon boxes, folders, markers, and unopened pen boxes that I haven't bought much for a couple years now and still have plenty left. I donated and gave away some of it too. I am horrified at the amount of waste when that stuff could've been donated to schools or school supply drives and written off on taxes.

we had a somewhat local school supply store. They went out of business , and corporate told them to destroy everything that was left. the manager silently refused, and quietly contacted every school district he could within a 95 mile radius and told them to come. these teachers took time off of their summer and went down with large vans and filled them.

 

it took our local school district 3 years to get through the supplies he quietly gave us.

[SquirrellyMama]

Just the teachers my children have. In the past, we used to live next door to a public school teacher and she would have a garage sale every spring with the left over supplies. I would buy the next years supplies from her stash.

Are school supplies the property of the teacher or the school? In both cases I feel the teachers are stealing. The one making a profit would make me much more livid.

 

If they are allowed to keep them then I'd rather see them given away. I'm not buying school supplies so teachers can sell them.

 

Kelly

Edited July 9, 2017 by SquirrellyMama

[winterbaby]

Wait... you have to buy this $100 worth of excessive school supplies through the PTA? That seems sketchy.

[Daria]

Are school supplies the property of the teacher or the school? In both cases I feel the teachers are stealing. The one making a profit would make me much more livid.

 

If they are allowed to keep them then I'd rather see them given away. I'm not buying school supplies so teachers can sell them.

 

Kelly

 

I can't really decide which I think is worse.  The teachers making a profit off them (which encourages them to do it even more) or the teachers giving it to an organization whose work I don't support.

 

To me, the only ethical things to do would be to return them to the students, or if that didn't work, to keep them for students who didn't have any the following year.  If the school is pooling supplies, and regularly has things left over, then obviously they should adjust their supply lists as well.

[Guest]

Wait... you have to buy this $100 worth of excessive school supplies through the PTA? That seems sketchy.

I think it is awesome!! Two clicks and every supply my kids need is shipped to my door. I have no idea if the pta makes money off of it or not. Anything that keeps me from going to 16 stores looking for "extra wide fabric book cover--red" is a winner!!

[heartlikealion]

Businesses do throw lots of things away so it doesn't surprise me too much, but it doesn't make me less upset about it. I hear about people dumpster diving in some areas (the laws vary). I think for some items a store will save them for the following year. In other cases I guess they don't have the storage or don't want to send the items back to a warehouse or something?? Not really sure. I remember after Christmas I bought some items that had been reduced. Some items did not qualify and I think the reason was they were going to just put them out at full price the following Christmas (Family Dollar I think).

 

Janeway, do parents have to buy supplies through the PTA? I would hate that. I am a bargain shopper and can usually stretch my money further myself for small ticket items.