Look at this school supply list for Katie

**bamamomto4** · 07-25-2006, 10:34 PM

this is for 2nd grade

2 packs wide ruled paper
4 plastic folder with brads and pockets
3 packs yellow pencils
3 packs 24 pack crayons
1 pair pointed scissors
2multi packs glue sticks
2 one subject spiral notebooks
2 packs (4 in each pack) block erasers
1 4 pack black dry erase markers
2 boxes tissues
1 triple pack paper towels
1 box qt size ziploc bags
1 pack baby wipes
1 bottle antibacterial hand sanitizer
1 bottle all purpose spray cleaner
1 bottle elmers glue (note the glue sticks above)
1 pack white copy paper

Does anyone else have to buy this much?

**emily_hope** · 07-25-2006, 10:38 PM

Hmmm...I think the teacher is gathering supplies for the whole class.

**kabin63** · 07-25-2006, 10:39 PM

Don't know what I will have to buy this year. DD going into middle school and from what I hear I will have to wait until she gets to first day of classes to get any list. I also hear it can be quite expensive...:-(

**YankeeMom** · 07-25-2006, 10:42 PM

When we lived in AL the kids' school lists were like that. They had to bring in ziploc baggies (different sizes sometimes!), paper towels, boxes of tissues...odd things for "school supplies" but when the schools are funded by the sales tax, and people stop buying things because the economy's going to putz...

When we first got to AL, they were already 4 weeks into the school year. We STILL had to send in their school supplies. One of them was a whole package of construction paper and a big box of markers. My daughter actually CRIED when the teacher took them from her. They were for the entire classroom. Up here in NY, we don't do things that way. Each child brings their own supplies. Nothing is taken from other children and given to those who's parents either can't or don't send it in. That's why we have school supply drives, much the same as Christmas present drives around the holidays.

Here we have the usual stuff, paper, pencils, *sometimes* a box of baggies. The oddest thing I've seen is dry erase markers. I don't even know why the kids would need them, unless the teacher is supplying herself. Which, as little as teachers are paid and as little as the schools supply these days, I wouldn't be surprised.

**bamamomto4** · 07-25-2006, 10:46 PM

Here is Jacksons for Kindergarten

$25 cooking fee...?!
Fabric or plastic nap mat (yea right...like he's gonna nap)
Clear or mesh backpack
*5* boxes 24 count crayons
4 bottle elmers glue 4 oz
8 glue sticks
blunt scissors
2 boxes dry erase markers
1 pack #2 pencils-24 count
4 plastic folder with pockets and brads
1 composition notebook
1 hand sanitizer
2 boxes tissues
4 rolls paper towels
1 ream white copy paper
1 box washable markers
1 plastic pencil box
2 boxes baby wipes
1 box gal size ziploc bags

Some of this is just unreal.....8 glue sticks?? 5 boxes crayons.

I know there's some teachers here.Why do they ask for so much?

He will have 16 students in his class...if every child brings whats on the list...thats 80 boxes of 24 count crayons......128 glue sticks.......64 rolls paper towels....384 pencils.....

I just dont get it. I dont mind sending what MY child needs but I cant afford to send things for other children. If my child runs out of crayons or glue...I'll send it. But good golly.......
And I know kids will use alot of glue or whatever,but imo this is asking to much.

Does anyone else feel this way or am I just cheap..?

**YankeeMom** · 07-25-2006, 10:49 PM

I don't think you're being cheap. I think that's overkill!!

Matthew will start kindergarden this year, here is his supply list:
-supply of #2 pencils (no set number)
-1 eraser
-backpack
-crayons (24ct max)
-1 pkg wide ruled notebook paper
-1 yellow highlighter

That's it.

**Lorelei** · 07-25-2006, 10:54 PM

I've seen lists that long or longer, but you are being asked for a lot of multi-packs on items you'd expect a student to need one. It does seem as though the teacher is trying to get extras for the class. The wipes, paper towels, etc. are pretty standard classroom supplies that teachers now ask parents to provide.

Kathy - I found the supplies in middle school weren't too bad, but the fancy latest & greatest calculators were budget breakers.

**bamamomto4** · 07-25-2006, 11:00 PM

Katie's list says...................And I quote lol..............."the items below will be shared with the class.Please do not label these items....please remember since these items will be shared,there is no need to buy anything expensive or fancy such as 64 count crayons.Sharing these items will allow everyone to have supplies for the entire year.
Please note that these are CLASSROOM supplies.Art supplies should be bought/packaged separarely.."

SO,there must be ANOTHER list for art class......

I dont know how many kids will be in her class but say its 16,like Jacksons....3 boxes crayons per child is 48 boxes of crayons....seems like a lot to me.

Heather...Down here now,they dont have chalkboards...they have those dry erase boards.They're just as big,just the entire thing is dry erase...so yes...its for her!!

Jackson is excited about school.When he takes his things in and they get taken up....he's prob gonna cry to because they are "his school supplies".

The cleaner on Katies list killed me.We pay taxes and the dang schools cant buy cleaning supplies..? If she has 16 classmates,thats 16 bottles of say....409...I use this stuff every single day,several times a day and I dont know that I would use 16 bottles in 9 months (the time they are in school).

I'm just a wee bit ticked

**fernykins** · 07-25-2006, 11:29 PM

I'm glad my kids went to school in the olden days......... Backpacks, the schools surplied everthing. I'm glad my baby is 21.......
Fern

**SHOPGIRL** · 07-25-2006, 11:43 PM

I teach, but I don't give my kids a supply list. Mine's fairly basic. If they bring in Kleenex, then I give them extra credit points. I require them to have pencils and paper, and their own folders, but that's about it. However, if a kid doesn't have paper, I supply him with that. Also, I go through tons of pencils.

My supply money for school is $200, that includes all office supplies and anything I need for my classroom. It doesn't go very far at all.

If I taught in the elementary schools, I could totally see asking kids to bring things in. They do a lot of projects and I'm sure go through all the supplies. Plus, I bet not every kid brings in all that stuff. I bet the teacher is happy if the kid brings in half that stuff.

State funding for schools is down. Several years ago, I had an unlimited budget. I could order what I needed. Times have changed. Good thing all that stuff is super cheap right now.

**Dixie** · 07-26-2006, 12:27 AM

My ddil is an elementary teacher here in GA. Her requested supply list is similar to Katie's. Ddil spends around $500 a year of her own money for classroom supplies. I was shocked!

I was also shocked when my friend from NC said that in her hometown, the school supplied everything. Parents didn't even have to buy pencils and paper. I can't even imagine!

**kabin63** · 07-26-2006, 07:31 AM

I'm not so worried about DD's supply list, I just heard it could be expensive. I have bought things in advance for dirt cheap and I'm hoping to not have to buy a lot more. When my DD was in 3rd grade, and they don't ask for hand sanitizer or anything, there was a lot of flu going around and I asked the teacher if they ever cleaned their desks. My DD had a lot of problems with ear infections, and the teacher didn't really know, so I sent in a bottle of good hand soap and some clorox cleanups. I think it helped some, and I was the only parent doing this, but I thought it was smarter to do that than to have each kid out every other week and I admit my motives were selfish, but my kid missed enough as it was. I know the teacher appreciated it. The point is, I know teachers are, in many instances underpaid, and they have really cut school budgets quite a bit, and the teachers many times spend a lot of their hard earned money just so kids can have what they need. I figured it was my resposibility to do what I could to help. I'm not saying I thought every parent should do that, but rather, I wanted to do this to help.

**slowtypinwoman** · 07-26-2006, 07:43 AM

Like shopgirl said, it is easy to see that in elementary. I work in an elementary school and the funding is way down. I think classroom teachers get like $100. That is for everything, contruction paper, ( Do you guys realize how much of this is used in the classroom?) dry erase markers, tissues, playground balls, ( each class goes through about 3 because they pop easily)I'm just an aide and I bet I spend $100-$200 for things myself. Also where we live is a pretty high poverty area.
However, all those crayons seem a bit excessive.

**halloweenfreak** · 07-26-2006, 07:56 AM

what bothered me besides the 6 boxes of crayons, was that it had to be
crayola. just about everything (excluding the baggies and baby wipes) stated a name brand. i couldn't go to the dollar store and get their brand, it said out to the side of each item -crayola crayons, elmers glue, fiskars scissors... why?

**frugalfarmwife** · 07-26-2006, 08:00 AM

This just amazes me no end, especially here where the majority of our property taxes go to the schools. In our area all the new funding (and yes, they just voted a new levy through) is going to build schools to keep up with the super fancy new high school in town (which we refer to as the mall of America!)

When I was a kid I Don't think they even had a mandatory list for us!

kj