Forgot to say, only buy what you think is reasonable and what you can afford. My son's last school which was private used to send insane school supply donation lists too but they did it knowing that they weren't going to get everything. Think of it like a kid's Santa list that's just as unrealistic.

Our school is asking parents to chip in $20 per child towards supplies that the teachers will buy in bulk. I think this is more than fair and reasonable especially since they sent the list of items being purchased. If I had to run around and pay retail for these items it would cost a lot more than $20 for the stuff, the gas and my time.

A lot of teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies which I've always thought was above the call of duty. Sure, there are going to be some deadbeat parents who "forget" to send the $20 so their kids will use supplies from the community closet. But so what? I don't want my son's classmates to be sitting there without pencils or crayons. I like the fact that all of the kids in the class are going to have identical supplies, at least at school.

Public education is suffering cutbacks all over the place. Whatever we spend in supplies and taxes doesn't touch the price of private school tuition. My son is headed to an excellent public school and is coming from a private school that made WAY MORE demands for supplies, fundraising, volunteering etc plus tuition. And all of it was AFTER taxes!

I couldn't agree more. We pay taxes for a reason and it should cover the supplies our kids need to start off the year. I don't mind when the teachers send notes home from time to time about running low on tissues, wipes, etc. and they ask if people can help out. But when I see my daughter's second grade list and them asking for 50 new sharpened pencils as well as 20 other items that's a little much. I don't think she'll use that many pencils in all her elementary years. Sometimes I think we are stocking up the teacher's supply closets for future classes. I believe if the teacher knows the class list ahead of time, let the tax money pay for the items and they could have the necessary supplies there for the kids on the first day and just hand them out. Especially since they require certain brands, colors, etc.

Couple points:
kjdmom- You are exactly right! Red is not always red when off-brand products are used. Problems I see are as follows--
folders-openings are not big enough for regular paper or so flimsy they fall apart in 2 weeks
pencils-don't actually sharpen. The leads are in chinks within the pencil and the lead falls out as soon as it is sharpened.
markers-don't last or color is not true hue
scissors-blades don't meet so paper gets bent not cut
paper-crumpled within the package but this is workable

Mom2grls- Pta money has nothing to do with a school budget or taxes. Think of it as a charity that helps your child in school.

I am pretty sure having parents pay for a workbook which is actual curriculum is not a lawful expenditure. I've never heard of it and it cannot be tolerated.

I hadn't thought of just giving the money to the schools and the schools being responsible for the purchases. I think later concerns would come with questioning if all the money was being used for the purpose of school supplies.

Especially in the early grades, it is unrealistic to provide stationary and supplies exclusively for one kid. Kids share (and that is good), they really don't have the space to store their own personal supply, and can you imagine the fights over which red crayola belongs to which kid? So communal supplies are inevitable, so buy generic and keep the good stuff at home if your kid has to have it.

Then the problems as I see them are:

* how to deal with the moochers - the people who can afford to supply their kids, but choose not to. Probably not much to be done there.

* Grade or school-level supply lists. Each teacher probably want to work a little differently, why are we constraining teachers to use 2 bottles of glue and 1 glue stick per kid, when they would really rather have 1 bottle of glue, and 2 sticks?

*The individual purchase. It took me nearly an hour to find all the supplies on my list. Then I paid individual price for them, with the profit going to an out-of-state corporate HQ. I would really rather have just given the money to the school, let them buy more at reduced rates, not had to pay tax on it, etc. If schools are recommending supply lists, why aren't they offering to go get the stuff?

I think involvement is the key. Participate in more PTA meetings. Place yourself in the middle of these financial decisions and voice your concerns. As a parent and tax-payer you have every right. I am a mother of five and I have had my children in private as well as public schools and like everything else there will be the likes and dislikes. I am very much involved in school fundraising and meetings and there are times that I disagree with some things and agree with others. I agree with much of the parents concerns. I don’t mind preparing my children for successful completion of school studies but there are lines to be drawn when it comes to how much is being supplied to your child’s school. As one parent stated a $2000.00 school beautification purchase of a rug seems a bit unorthodox. I’m almost certain that the money would have been better spent on something like a teacher’s bonus (just my opinion), or equipment upgrades. I have sat in budget meetings and school board meetings and even attended community parent meetings. We have to get involved and place ourselves in the forefront to ensure that our children are the primary beneficiaries of the best education possible.

Get involved!Make school officials give you answers.

First school funds are seperate from any PTA money. I have found out ( in my state) the principle has complete controll of how money is spent for the school not the PTA). I also found out the our library gets a special budget every year and they didn't know it. I'm becoming angry with the list here they are way out of control. My child even has to have his own whiteboard for school. School budgets are open, ask the principle to see. You want to know where the money is going and for what. I know the PTA here pays for fieldtrips, breakfast, teachers/staff lunches, opera, mad science, the school gardens, some supplies, brought those 2,000 rugs, computers, storage sheds, etc...
Look at the PTA budget and ask questions, be specific if they're paying for books, why? Could their money be put towards a program instead of a 1,000 lunch?
Just ask ???? and lots. I know I've gone through this this past year and have found out alot of good info.

With all the fund raisers and business sponsors, public schools should have plenty to go around. I believe that now it has become the norm for everyone else to step up that they allocate supply money to something else but I don't know what. It got to the point that I would not participate because I felt that I was allowing them to pass the buck. I eventually got fed up with the public school system with my oldest two who have since graduated. I have chosen a private school for my youngest. It's pretty frustrating paying taxes for a system so broken that I'd rather pay 5 times the amount of money not to be part of it but at least I feel like I'm getting my monies worth through the private institution.

We got the same kinds of requests throughout the year last year when my daughter was in kindergarten. I really don't mind helping out since we have an excellent public school and it saves us tens of thousands in private school tuition. But when I heard that last year the principle spent $2,000 on a special rug for the entryway (announced in a PTA meeting my husband attended) that burned my hide! And the fundraising is non-stop!! If you want me to bring snacks and supplies and lord knows what else I want to see a more responsible use of money whether from the official budget or from hawking chocolate to every friend, relative and co-worker we have. My husband and I are going to make a point of attending more PTA meetings this year and speaking up about these issues. The principle is a total control freak and won't like it but if we frame things positively I am hoping she will at least hear us out.

First review the list and then ask questions.
do you consider janitorial supplies: lysol/clorox wipes/tissues...and what grade are the students?
younger students need more and varried supplies ...my high schooler needs paper and notebooks and binders and pens and pencils....also teachers provide many classroom supplies out of pocket...budgets have been cut and we still need to ecucate our children....

well, you would get mighty tired of it in a hurry, if you were a single/widowed mom, trying to stretch a buck and having to support everyone in the classrooms..I work 3 jobs to keep my children in Private school, but what is needed in Public school, far outweighs what I buy for my children in Private..So, as for Taxes helping the Public school, I am paying a double whammy. Dont patronize me. I will pray for you so you wont judge me for my personal opinions.

because not enough of us have stood up and told them we aren't going to do it anymore.

I have mixed feelings about it all. I do buy for my kids and I buy extra for the class and also give at the church back to school drive etc. However, I don't remember my parents having to buy so many school supplies. I mean the usual: backpacks, paper, binders and such.
The mixed feelings comes in when you feel like the government is double dipping. It never ends. You pay taxes and you have to buy supplies for the *classroom*. I wouldn't even get all into the name brand stuff. They put all that stuff in a big supply cabinet for the class/school to use. Your child may not even end up with the products you bought.

My kids school will actually send left over product up to the next grade with the students. Example: If there was a lot left over from 1st grade like glue and boxes of tissue, the school lists for our 2nd grade did not have those items on there. (I asked why the grades varied so much). I also found that the teachers spend a LOT of their OWN money supplying the classroom. Some of the teachers have wish lists too. It seems like there just isn't enough to go around. There isn't enough in the budgets for each child to have their own books and workbooks.

I think I will have to go to more city and school district meetings to find out what is really going on.

My child has attended schools in two very affluent districts in our state. The supply lists are out of control. I totally agree with the sentiments of the original post. I do not, however, blame the teachers for this. As the old saying goes, "the fish stinks from the head".

Check with your school's administrator and make sure he or she is aware of the request for so many materials. Next, purchase some of the essential materials that your child will need off the list (such as crayons, glue sticks,erasers or extra pencils). My guess is, your school has some of these items to provide to students, but does not have a sufficient supply for the entire school. School budgets are extremely underfunded right now.

The textbook issue is another matter. Your district /school has not chosen to spend the money on a consumable workbook that the teacher or school finds necessary. It is a budget issue, not a personal issue. If the cost is too much for you, I'm pretty sure there may be some left over from last year. The bottom line is this: What ever supplies parents can provide, the school does not have to spend money on that it does not have. Really, compared to a private education, public school (if it's a good one) is a real bargain. Buy what you can and don't worry about the rest. Your school is casting a wide net hoping to catch as many fish as it can.

My main point is that our taxes should pay for necessary instructional items like pencils, and parents should not be asked to supply band-aids and clorox wipes. There is a fund that is required by the state that will supply children whose parents cannot afford to buy the items on the 25-or-so item list we get each year.
Wouldn't the schools be able to get a lower price on a large quantity as well?

My point is that, I don't think it is fair that we pay taxes, then have to supply the school not just "supplemental instructional materials" but required supplies, AND THEN WE ARE PAYING MORE TAXES on those purchased items!

Here is the response I got from the state Dept:
The supplies for a school district are controlled by the local school district,
the Mississippi Department of Education does not have jurisdiction in this
matter. Please see MS Code of 1972, Section 37-7-335, which states that a school
district should adopt a hardship waiver policy for parents who are unable to
afford supplemental instructional materials, etc.

Thelma W. Brittain, Division Director
Office of Accreditation
Mississippi Department of Education
359 North West Street
Post Office Box 771
Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0771
Phone: 601-359-3764

I always get extra , for the kids that cant or do not bring in , it sounds like some of you are angry because you have to buy and some people can not. I am so happy IO teach my children to share and to feel sorry for the kids that do not have, because those are the kids that needs it the most, I can not imagine that people are angry about someone else not having to bring and they do , see that you are blessed that you can buy for your children and that they are not the ones being made fun of because they are the poor kid in class. Yes, I do feel the list is out of control but, I will get what ever I need for my children , and through they year I ask the teachers if there is anything they need sanitizer, tissue,crayons, pencils, ext... Just because I am happy when I help people not angry because the poor don't bring in nothing. sorry , it is people like that that have no hart, When we had kids we did not sit around saying well, if I have a child am I going to have to pick up the slack of lil Johnny? no . We love lil Johnny too.Even if his parents do not have allot of money. and we pray for them. As I will for some of you . God bless !

That really irks me too! Gone are the days where we just sent our children to school with new book bags and new shiny folders, notebooks and pencils..We used to buy the rest of the supplies at the "supply store" which was basically a closet, at the school. Now, however, what really irks me is when choosing and buying the brand name crayons,tissues,etc, is being TOSSED IN A COMMUNITY "CATCH ALL", where some parents bought the inexpensive crayons (like the red crayon that wrote 'pink') or nothing at all, then the rest of the children had to donate theirs to them..I really dont mind purchasing items for my child to use, but for the rest of the class? NO! As for the unfortunate children, they have their free "bookbags" and supplies from the Government..There should be no reason for any of this !

We get a list of supplies, even in our district which is a well-to-do district who manages their money well.

I have never heard of anyone having to send in janitorial supplies. Even in the awful school my daughter attended before this one, they asked for paper, tissues, pencils and other small supplies that would be used by the classroom only. And rather than buying the supplies for the individuals like most schools, these all went into a class supply where all children could use what they needed (ensuring that no child went without).

If the list is truly out of control, and if you suspect the district is mismanaging their funds, rally parents together to go to the next open board meeting. Follow your board's protocols to get your topic on the agenda, and speak up about it. Get copies of financial statements too. Be sure to bring that supply list with you and explain that while you understand that the district is making cuts as well, you have also had to make cuts in your family life, and the whole reason you pay taxes to the school district is so that your child gets the education, and them telling you to send them more supplies proves they are not using their money wisely. Perhaps they need to cut back in other areas, but not in child's education.

Our district was hit hard too, but they only cut Spanish out. Everything else is present and accounted for. Nobody got raises this year. They're not asking parents for more supplies than before. They cut back in areas that weren't as important.

The fullest answer to your question would be a long one and the solution not an easy one - particularly now. The reality is that most of the costs of public schools are written in stone - at least 80% of all public school budgets goes to salaries. Public schools have been sqeezed for a while - rising costs of health insurance for employees take a heavy toll and when gasoline was over $4.00 a gallon, most public schools were then operating over their edge.
And now things are worse - without the stimulus money, there would have been very significant layoffs. I think that public schools have not been held accountable - my own does not offer the public a line budget and there's too much that's murky and unclear. But clearly now in these hard times, public schools are under even more financial strain.

Our district also has a supply list and other than at the elementary level - I don't think anyone ever reviews it to see what is really being used in the classrooms. I have been on the PTA board for the last 4 years and we make and sell supply bags at cost for families to make this a lot easier on everyone. The cheapest one is usually around $13 and the most expensive (usually kindergarten) is around $23 - plus $7 for the kindermat if you want to buy it. We do buy name brands of what we can - but when things are $.10 or $.20 on sale in the late summer. We have never sprung for the Fiskars though. If we don't sell all the bags, each classroom is given one for emergency purposes and the rest usually goes in the supply closet which we sell off a cart to kids every Friday.
Even in a district that is pushing about 80% free and reduced lunch - we still have most kids fully supplied at the beginning of the year and with the cart they can usually replenish most of their own stuff with pocket change.
I did like it better way back when my daughter started kindergarten and we had the option to just give $20 to the teacher and she got all the supplies. That way when she was teaching "red" everyone's crayon produced the same color. (Test it out - some of the off brands -which are not usually cheaper during sale season - make red look more like pink.) But the district stopped that.
Basically, if the district can get away with getting parents to pay for stuff out of pocket --they aren't going to stretch their budget to cover it. The best way is to never let it start - but in the original post it sounds like this has been going on for a while. Basic needs should be covered (like toilet paper and copier paper) in all districts.

I think you have to do what you feel comfortable with. Personally, those lists made me angry, too! I did comply with them, although I did buy sale and generic items to fit my budget better. Even though it drove me crazy when my kids came home and told me about other kids bringing in nothing, I understood that my own kids did not want to be in that position themselves.

Public schools are feeling the brunt of the budget crisis because essentially children don't vote. Our school was literally left with $400 for supplies for the entire 450 student population--paper, pencils, toilet paper, you name it. I'm on the school council and I know what came to the school in the "supplies' budget. And as a parent, I know it's frustrating.

I've never bought the brand names, either. I have had teachers tell me the reason they prefer certain brand names has to do with performance. However, when you can get two dozen pencils for 22 cents, they'll have to perform well enough because I'm not buying the $3 a dozen brand name.

At our school the supply lists are recommended, but as a public school, they can't be required. Tell your school if it's a hardship and they should be able to make allowances.

Good luck

I haven't seen a school supply list for my son yet, since he doesn't start until September. Usually each teacher will have their own supply list instead of one, big school list.

In the past, I've tried to do what I can to help the teachers out, although I'll buy generic brands (if I don't buy name brands for my household, I won't do it for the school, either).

I would agree that buying what you feel is fair and reasonable should be sufficient.

I do wanna add to my previous write-up...somebody will be paying for that list that you may refuse to pay for. It'll probably be another parent or teacher. I would suggest that you should buy what you feel is fair.

We get a "suggested" list of things every year, but that's just stationary. You don;t have to if you don;t want to. I have provided cleaning wipes and purell saop along with paper, and other class room supplies. I personally don;t mind providing those materials especially when we know how bad the budget cuts are. As a PTA president for the next year, I have already placed additionaly $300/class for extra supplies. Schools these days are left with very little to do a lot.

In your case, asking for janitorial or first aid supplies is a bit excessive! I'm sure you are not forced to provide anything...schools can only ask for "donations" that are completely voluntary. If you feel it's unfair, you should ignore the list.