Public Education is…Free?
What happened to the days where you went to school with two notebooks and a few pencils? When you covered your text books with cut up grocery bags and decorated them yourself with stickers and scribble?
We received my son’s teachers in the mail today along with his list of school supplies. I sit here two hours later and $136.89 poorer. And with all the lovely (read: ugly) fabric ”Book Sox” that are now required. (See photo..and why they come with 3D glasses is beyond me.)
Add this to the new sneakers I just bought ($60), the string bass we just rented for the year ($490), the football payment ($125.00), the football jacket ($150), the locker decorations ($35) and the back to school clothing I haven’t gotten around to (I’m guessing another $200 blown there). Grand total thus far $1196.89….and school hasn’t even started yet.
Exhale.
Once school does begin, there’s the “school spirit” sweatshirts to buy, the book fair, the gift wrap school drive, the pizza dough school drive, the class party money, the holiday candy drive, the 2nd book fair, the food drive, the walkathon, spring fling, the teacher’s gift donation, the after school enrichment program and whatever “new” fundraisers they’ve come up with.
Plus his religious education to the tune of $3300 a year (school is just $600, but the building fund is a lovely $2700).
Seriously, how does a family in this economy swing all of this? So many people are struggling with job losses and cut backs. I have only one child, but most families consist of two or more children. I can’t even imagine all of this multiplied by 2 or 3.
This is (free) (nevermind the taxes we pay because we chose a town known for their great education system) public education.
I just seriously don’t get why he needs:
1 expandable folder with 6 or more pockets, 6 double-pocket folders of different colors, 2 packages of blue erasable pens, 2 packages of sharpened pencils with erasers, 2 additional pink erasers, 4 highlighters, 3 marble notebooks of different colors (still didn’t find the purple one that was required), 3 single subject notebooks of different colors, 24 sharpened colored pencils, 1 pocket sized closed pencil sharpener, 4 large glue sticks, 2 green and purple ink pens, 1 package of wide ruled 3-holed loose leaf paper, 3 packages of 3×5 index cards, 2 large boxes of issues (unscented), 1 zippered pencil case (about 8″x10″ in size), 1 extra large and 3 regular sized BOOK SOX
to be able to LEARN.
Seriously.
Sorry to rant.
Evolution is such a touch subject with our school moms group. We can’t even talk about religious topics because everyone is so hotly divided on every facet of the subject. Nice post.
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Can you believe that crap? Most of those supplies are just a teacher preference. It’s just not right. People can’t afford all that. I wouldn’t pay it. What can they do?
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@kathym425 on twitter.
said:
I have two kids and am already struggling with my poor budget and wondering where the money to pay for it all will come from. Oh and, of course, both kids’ birthdays are in September!!! August and September are terrible months for us and we barely recover before Christmas hits. I am so grateful for all of the wonderful programs that our school and our city offer for our kids but the drain put on our budgets by everything all at once is enough to make anyone rant!
.-= Kat´s last blog ..Sibling Rivalry =-.
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I totally here you!!!
When my oldest started school 13 years ago (he’s a senior now) the cost of supplies was close to twenty dollars and it was just for him. My youngest are in school and the list calls for six boxes of crayons, six glue sticks and so on. Who am I really buying for ?
.-= Angeliqu´s last blog ..Please Go Away…. =-.
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@ifevolution on twitter.
(author) said:
Tara: Thank you and yes, religion is a tough topic no matter what the group is.
Gena: I agree, but then I feel like my son ends up “paying” by not having the right things or not being able to participate in things like sports and music.
Kat: My even tougher time is December/January. Hanukah, Christmas, and my son’s birthday. I dread that time of year with expenses and gifts.
Angeliqu: SIX BOXES OF CRAYONS? That’s insane. The thing that got me the most was the two boxes of tissues. Who is THAT really for? And my tax money doesn’t afford the school system to supply even generic Kleenex???
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I must say I worked in a district that provided a lot of the things you listed, for the exact reason as you mentioned, that some families may not be able to swing it. Each building principal is required to place these items in the school budget. I would attend a board meeting and share your concerns. Every year, the list will probably get longer!
.-= Theta Mom´s last blog ..Rocks in My Jellies =-.
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six glue sticks?!!? and purple and green pens?!? that’s crazy! the list of school supplies is absolutely ridiculous and gets worse each year. i have to send two boxes of tissues, two rolls of paper towels and a box of baby wipes in with my two oldest sons this year. and they go to catholic school (the philadelphia public schools near us are a disaster and are not much of an option for us) so i pay tuition. apparently $4000 over ten months is not enough for tissues.
.-= beth´s last blog ..rambling thoughts from a befuddled mind =-.
[Reply]
@ifevolution on twitter.
(author) said:
Theta: How can TISSUES not be in our budget? That is crazy. will a 6 pack of toilet paper be on next year’s list? Thanks for the insight on how it all works.
Beth: I know..crazy! I can understand that with private schools the funds just might not be there the way they are with public tax funded schools.
I do understand that schools now have different expenses than when I was younger. For example computers. Salaries are different now too..but THAT topic is up there with politics and religion. Not going there.
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I feel ya. I just bought clothes for my kids a week ago (spent nearly $300). I have to buy supplies tomorrow. My husband thought the $110 I told him it would cost (for two kids) was ridiculous. He’d probably have a cow if I had to spend more than that on just one, as you have done. But what does he want me to do? Send them to school without supplies?
My son is starting middle school and signed up for band. I don’t want to even think about how much an instrument could cost us.
I’m having to postpone making a dentist appointment for my daughter because of the cost of going to school. Then comes Christmas, and in February we have three birthdays – mine, my daughter’s (the day after mine) and then my husband’s. *sigh*
.-= Niki´s last blog ..Change =-.
[Reply]
Me
@ifevolution on twitter.
Replied on : August 24th, 2009 at 1:29 PM
The music instrument was the killer. Almost $500 for something I am SURE he won’t be interested in for very long.
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@JulieChats on twitter.
said:
I can’t believe all the supplies kids need at our school, then each teacher adds their own to the list on the first day when the sales are over & everything is gone….
Happy VGNO! Stopping by late again….
.-= Julie@JulieChats´s last blog ..Layout of the Week – My Birthday =-.
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We were thinking of sending ds to school this year but honestly it’s cheaper for us to homeschool because of everything you just wrote above!! If all our kids went to school I would have to go to work just to cover the costs of the “stuff”.
.-= Shanta @ Natural Mom Loves Prada´s last blog ..8 things: people to meet irl =-.
[Reply]
Me
@ifevolution on twitter.
Replied on : August 24th, 2009 at 1:25 PM
I think this is a popular option. I hear more and more about children being homeschooled. Good luck with it!!!
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we’re a family that lives under the poverty line. ($1100 a month …less than you spent!!) We were never able to get help with school supplies because the ‘cut off’ was arbitrary at $1084 a month. So we were $16 a month too ‘rich’ for help.
I usually contacted the teacher to say we not only wouldn’t, but couldn’t supply all those things. I was told which ones were ‘necessary’ …and usually made it.
One year .. the tissues became a big issue. It was ‘mandetory’ …that all 30 of the students bring 3 boxes of kleenex. OK ..so you’re planning on going thrugh 90 boxes of kleenex for the year?
(answer “no we usually go through about 55 but this leaves a head start for next year”)
Ok ..so you want me to pay for next years students … I refused and so my son lost points on an assignement!!!!
What was most upsetting …was at the end of the year ..the excess school supplies went home with the teacher instead of being divied out amoung the class …the extra pencils, notebooks, folders, kleenex, hand sanitizer … a friend and I saw our sons teacher take 6 LARGE boxes of school supplies to her car.
That …was infuriating to say the least. We could have used what wasn’t used for the next year. But when they brought in all the notebooks, pencils, crayons …they all went into a community box where the teacher passed out the supplies as needed. (so your child could be getting a notebook someone else paid for ..this is why the solid colors rather than designed notebooks our children like) the excess went to the teacher rather than back to the students.
[Reply]
Me
@ifevolution on twitter.
Replied on : August 24th, 2009 at 1:24 PM
It’s upsetting to read that the teachers take these things home. I realize that a lot of the items are “pooled” and that’s fine. But to hear that brand new items go home and are not returned to the students/parents is bothersome.
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And it.never.ends. All year long…
*sigh* I’m hearin’ ya~
Lisa
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I’m a student myself, and at no point in my student career have I even needed that many supplies!! That list of items is ridiculous for someone in grade school/middle school and even high school for that matter. And talk about specific……
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Nancy
@ifevolution on twitter.
Replied on : August 27th, 2009 at 4:01 PM
Kids are expensive!!!!!
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Cause kids aren’t distracted enough as it is. Give them a 3-D book cover and glasses!LOL!
.-= Vanessa´s last blog ..A Party Worth Getting Your Gal Pals Together For! =-.
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