Curious-what does your local PS supply?

[menudo]

I have read and heard IRL people complaining about school supplies for their child in public school. Oddly, I live in a middle class/upper middle class district (unfortunately, we are the low "broke" population here lol) and they supply EVERYTHING! Not based on income or anything else. I have never had to send paper, pencils, pens, notebooks, etc. I was even caught off guard. A friend who lives a in another district with alot of $$ coming in has to buy EVERYTHING you can imagine. DD also has a learning diabilty and automatically (before child study team) was getting one on one almost all day last year!)

I am sure we are blessed, I was curious what I could expect when we move!

[MrsMoon880]

I work at a public school in a rural area that consists of mostly middle class families, but has about 10-15% low income. We have a suggested list of supplies that contains things like tissues, notebooks, pens, pencils, etc. However, this is not a mandatory list, and if kids cannot afford these supplies the school will supply them. The PTO is usually behind purchasing these extra supplies, as our PSD never seems to have any $$.

[EFmom]

We live in an excellent school district, in a mostly upper middle class area. Our list usually includes notebooks, crayons, scissors, glue, pens, pencils and a ruler. They also usually request that you send in 1 box of tissues. They will open a box for class use as needed, as the school district doesn't supply them.

I don't have a problem with sending in any of these things. They are the same types of things my parents had to buy for me and I went to private schools.

If parents cannot afford these items, they are provided out of a fund raised and administered by the PTA

[Fleurette]

I teach at a middle school. At our school the students are responsible for having the following items:
[list][*]lined white paper[*]dividers[*]pens (blue/black, red and green)[*]pencils[*]eraser[*]pencil case[*]coloring pencils/crayons[*]ruler[*]highlighter
*calculator[list]
Don't know about elementary, but in high school they would also be responsible for calculators for alegbra/geometry (those suckers cost mega $$$). I would say for the most part our county has $, but I guess they spend it on other things.

Oh, I'm also able to request items to be used in my classroom for the students, so when items go missing/lost or just not purchased, students aren't left with nothing. I provide construction paper, glue, scissors, etc. if I'm doing an in class assignment. If it's something they are to do at home, they provide the materials. If a kid needed something and couldn't afford it, I tell them to come to me and I get it to them. Our school has a budget to provide for that.

[lauren]

We have to provide a reasonable list of items, many of which others have already mentioned. Teachers will often ask for other special supplies for projects (colored feathers, for ex.) This is pretty standard around here, in rural Vt.

[weebitty2]

I remember my mom always complaining when we were younger that school stuff was always expensive, but all we ever had to provide for ourselves was a 3/4" 3ring binder for our homework/corrected tests/progress letters .. Now.. I' think I'm gonna go broke just on the two in school! (Lined paper, crayons, coloured pencils, art smock, pencils, erasers, glue, rulers, and either a $35 photocopy fee, or $35 for individual workbooks. *boggle - what am i paying taxes for?!)

[AnnMarie]

Our school supplies everything also. Too bad they wouldn't go to uniforms and supply them too. :LOL

[magemom]

Our schools provide everything. As parents, we fill in or buy specialty stuff, but never has a list come home unless it was a suggestion list.

Growing up back to school was easily $50 per kid. Then there was the book fee to use the school provided books. That was included in the $50 guess on my part, usually $20. It was not something that was refunded if you took care of the books, either.

[lilyka]

Here we provide everyhting. Probably $25-$30 for younger grades and up to $200 for older grades and more if you child has art at a jr. or high school level.

And that is city wide which runs the full way between very high income and very poverty stricken. I taught in high school as an assistant teacher and she would actually give the students a failing grade every day they showed up without thier cupplies. I made notebook deviders out of old file folders and brought pencils but she wouldn't let me just give them out. the students hed to walk up and ask up to help them (how humiliating! ) The school aslo sold a set up for about $20 that included the forsaken notebook and and all it entailed.

Tye schools don't provide anything although some sympathetic teachers will help out of thier own pocket. The local soup kithen (Carolyn Downs has a special place in heaven reserved her I tell you. She is a saint.) collects and distributes school supplies including back packs to anyone in need. And all you have to do to qualify is show up. No paper work, check stubs or copy of your income tax forms. You just have to show up. As far as I know no one has ever been turned away. the people in the community, bussinesses etc. . . all join into whatever they decide to do to help. this year I think they are including new shoes. or maybe they do that every year. Because it is just to sad to be the only person to start the new school year without new shoes.

[jannan]

i work for the local school district and for the lower grades k to 2 i know we supply everything except the backpack and the folders to put notes home , homework ect. now, my own dd is going to a catholic school and i had to buy everything. i think all in all i spent 150 on her going back to school.

[claudesmom]

Not counting backpacks, I only spent about $30 each on my K and 2nd graders, but the K list is so bulky it will not fit in the backpack. I jammed it into a xerox paper box and still had to tape the lid shut. Can't imagine where they are going to put it all for 28 kids until it is consumed.

I love the smell of school supplies in the morning.

[mamathyme]

Lucky girl!

I live in a very poor area.
We had to buy for K:
Papertowels 3 rolls
Hand sanitizer 3 bottles
tissues 3 boxes
two different sizes ziplock bags
Crayons
Glue
Scissors
Construction paper
notebook paper
pencil box
some other junk I do not even remember

I spent about $50 for K supplies.
My third grader "only" needed about $30 worth of classroom supplies.
Sigh!

AND, the kids do not get to take home any books to study with, there are not enough books to go around in the classrooms for everyone. They have to share.

Hope

[Kirsten]

When dd1 was in K and 1st, we got school supply lists that were quite long - seems like it was:

3 boxes of Kleenex
1 box baby wipes
1 roll of film
10 glue sticks
12 Ticonderoga pencils (bring sharpened)
3 notebooks
3 folders
markers
I know I am forgetting some things....

Now they just do a school supply fee and you bring nothing but your backpack on the first day. The fee was $20 last year and is $30 this year. I am sure I'd pay that much if I was buying it myself. I don't mind paying it - and I know they can get more buying everything in bulk, as well as fewer issues when all the pencils are the same as opposed to some bringing special purple sparkle pencils and some having the regular ones - but I do miss the sentimentality of taking dd to the store to pick out the folders, which color ruler, etc. I remember loving that each summer.