Does any one think the back to school list keep getting bigger?

Question

I have 4 kids and the list they send in the mail are just getting bigger and bigger, plus not counting the extra stuff they require after they start school.
Paper towels, hand sanitzers, certain color pens, to only using mechanical pencils, to every child has to have 3 pencil sharpners on on . Heck next they will tell us the kids have to bring toliet paper. My youngest has to bring in dry erase markers for the teacher.
3 boxes of tissues for each child.
how much does parents spend just on supplies for school, not clothes or anything just the list of things required?

I wasnt saying I couldnt afford them ,but I know many families can't, and it does get tight sometimes depending on how much of the other school clothing they need.

As far as the mechiancal pencils and the pencil sharper are for two different classes. This is just the list for my middle school children. Havent got the list for high school yet, and the elementary is the normal crayons, glue , hand saniter, kleenex, ect.

Answer 1

The list of necessary supplies is absolutely outrageous. I can not believe each parent is supposed to purchase a $100 calculator for their child. (that is what is required here) Plus, then a lot of the supplies are not even used, or they change their minds two days into school. It is outrageous.

Answer 2

i do have to say that as a teacher unfortuately some of the stuff is necessary, but some of the things you guys are saying i definetly would ask the teacher the reasoning behind it, the school should definetly pay for paper towels, and things like that.
mayybe you could suggest this to your child's teacher. this is what i do. well first of all all that sanitation lotion is a buch of bolgna, it doesn't really work in the schools because there are too many germs to fight. i would suggest keeping a bottle at home and tell your child to bring it when they have a cold or someone next to them has a cold. anyway i slip up my list so that no parent has to spend more than $20 a year. i ask each student to bring a certain amount of things to class with them.
for example:
student a: crayons (4 64 count), a presonal binder, notebook paper
student b: 8 boxes of big tissues, a personal binder, notebook
i have found it works better, plus the class really doesn't need 24 sets of crayons, because they are going to get mixed up anyway.
some teachers have no say, because the district demands it.
honestly don't get half the stuff on the list, get the essential then get what they need later, belief me it's easier on the budget and the student really has no room for all of it when they get there anyway.
i also think it's ridiculous that they require certain markers and mechanical pencils, they all work the same and who really cares, these teachers need to get off their high horse and parents need to help them off it. i teach with these kind of teachers and frankly i would send my kid with different markers and regualr pencils and then if they made a comment i would tell her i am too poor so she can buy them.


FYI on the dry erase markers, i actually have the students use them quite regualary, it'a a different teaching tool that students can use to spell out words or do different things on them through out the day. if your child never uses them, tell the teacher to get her own, she is alotted money to get them, maybe also you can help the teacher to find grants to get classroom needs.

Answer 3

This is mostly a problem in only elementary schools, however I don't see how they can require some of the things you listed. What I would do is send them in without the excessive requirements, and see what happens. Perhaps you could talk to the teacher if necessary. I don't see what explanation they could have for requiring 3 pencil sharpeners per kid (which is especially odd with the mechanical pencil only requirement), paper towels, hand sanitizers, or dry erase markers and 3 boxes of tissues.

Answer 4

they have gotten longer and longer

i work in staples

in the past three years the lists from our local schools have more than doubled in length, and honestly they are ridiculous

now kindergarten students are required to have purell in their back pack
b/c obviously they are going to use it properly and in no way ingest this poison


the lists range anywhere from 75 dollars to over 200

suggestion, although kind of late now, check the circulars in the paper each week in the summer

i know staples had each week a few items that were a nickel or even a penny, which helps get some of the basics out of the way

even stuff like crayola markers and whatnot could be found at a 40% discount if you watched the circular

Answer 5

I was thinking the exact same thing the other day! I went to Staples to buy supplies for my two 7yr olds and it cost me $100! I feel bad for families
with four or more kids. And what about the families that just can't afford it. The teachers were even specifying what color glue sticks to buy and what brand pencils they wanted.

Answer 6

I have three teens and the list certainly are not getting any smaller. It is very tough to cover and even cuts into the clothing budget a bit. Unfortunately the problem as to why we parents need to provide so much is our school fundings keep getting cut more and more. It's the price we must endure in order for our children to be educated. Long gone are the days of free education.

Answer 7

my son hasn't started school yet but i seen my nephews list. It seems like more and more schools are relying on parents to buy supplies not only for their own children but for all the kids in the class to use in the classroom. I remember being in school and my mom having to buy my supplies and i would keep it in my bookbag until i needed it but now the teachers supply a list of stuff they will need in their classrooms and the schools send it out to parents instead of using school funds for the supplies. My mom bought my nephews supplies this year for kindergarten and she ended up spending $60 just for the basic stuff and then my sister was told that a new list will go out midyear for supplies needed at that time.

Answer 8

my kids are in an Australian state (public) school. I pay the school fees (about $125) and the school supplies everything. On the first day they take an art smock,colouring book (for wet days) and a box of tissues for the class. Thats it.
I know the Catholic schools have to supply all and it costs around $90

Answer 9

I suppose you could always home school.

Or, maybe they could raise your property taxes...


Most schools have a PTO-funded 'needy kids' fund that helps out families who can't afford to get their kids the supplies they need. Or, you could talk to the teacher & explain that you can't afford the things your child needs for school. Most teachers who I know would probably go out & buy your kids what they need to learn in their classroom. Of course, teachers don't really make all that much money, either.

The dry erase markers aren't for the teacher's personal use. They are for the teacher to use as tools when teaching your child.

Do you actually think that the schools are hoarding all of the taxpayers money, using it for luxuries for themselves, then asking you & your family to bring in stuff to make up for the extravagance?

If you can't afford to give your child the multiple things (3 pencil sharpeners for example, which can be bought at Target right now for 12 cents each), then send him with one. And, when his breaks, he can borrow someone else's or ask you for another.

Answer 10

I sure do! Plus the homework gets longer also. The kids can't be kids. And those on fixed income really have it tough. It should go back to the time that all you had to have was paper, crayons and tablets and paper. The school furnishes the rest.