School costs reach deep into pocketbook

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Pencils. Paper. Kleenex. Glue sticks.

Glue sticks?

The four items listed above all appear on a supply list for a third grade class at Bruce K. Craig Elementary School, along with many others. While ten years ago, it was not uncommon for a student to bring the standard notebook and pencil along with a few other items, these days the demand has increased.

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Some teachers at the school say it’s because of the lack of money that is provided. One, who teaches science and math, said she utilizes the money given her by the school to purchase books and magazines for students to read. Many can’t afford them, she said.

Most expenses come out of pocket.

“I spent $150 this morning,” she said, pointing to a bucket full of school supplies she just purchased at Wal-Mart.

“I resent that people who don’t know what they’re talking about saying that we make too much money or that we spend too much,” she said.

The cost is also passed onto the parents. Supplies, for the most part, are not that expensive. A recent trip to Wal-Mart showed prices such as $.97 for a pack of paper, 5 bottles of glue for a dollar and a package of 10 pencils.

And it’s not just generics either. Several lists include specifics – such as modeling clay with a warning not to get Play-Doh and just Fiskars brand of scissors for example.

Gerald Shirley, principal at the School of Discovery, said that he requests that students on their first day come to classes with just the basics – pencils, notebook paper and a see-thru book bag. From there, the teachers tell the students what to get.

“We don’t give out a supply list,” he said. “But, we got a uniform list.”

Uniforms, averaging around $10 for a pair of pants and close to that for shirts, will drive up the average household school budget. But, the cost of supplies alone is not cheap either.

“I would say it’s about $50 just to get school started,” Shirley said.

He is not far from the truth. Anthony Hardy, shopping in Wal-Mart on Tuesday, estimated that he would spend between $45-50 for his sixth-grader attending Valley Grande Elementary School – and that’s just to get the school year started. He also has a child in high school and one in day care.

“Every year, it seems like it increases,” he said.

Hardy said he did not believe it was the school system’s fault that a lot of the burden on supplies falls on the parents. He said it’s the government, hitting taxpayers at both ends with higher taxes and having parents pour so much money into the schools.

He remembers a time when parents were held accountable for the condition that textbooks are in and students took little more than paper, pencils and lunch to class.

Now, schools are even asking parents to contribute money in addition to purchasing supplies. On the bottom of Hardy’s list – in addition to several other schools – there is a note requesting a donation. For Byrd Elementary School, one of the schools who provided a supply list at Wal-Mart, the amount requested is $15.

“A lot of people can’t afford this stuff,” Harvey commented.

And, in his opinion, it will be getting worse. Harvey said he is waiting for the time when he is asked to provide desks for his children to sit at.