School Supplies Overload

[waingirl]

My son is 10 and going into the 5th grade. Usually at the end of every school year we get in his report card the school list from the new teacher. One page, about 15 items. It is all used as community items, so my son can't use any personalized items because they are just grouped together and handed out at random. We did not get a list this year, so I don't know what's in store for us. Hopefully things will still be available at that late date. I'm 33, and when I went to school, we only had to bring pencils/pens, paper, and our own binder. Not anymore.

 

[Paisley]

Since when is some kid in elementary school going to need ... a graphing calculator...

I made it through high school without any calculator at all, but some of my classmates had them. Need I say who was better at doing math in their head?

In 4.5 years of mechanical engineering school, I don't think I ever used the graphing function on my calculator.

 

[Phil]

Wow, congrats :eusa_clap , that's definitely better than I can do. I use my calculator for a lot of my math. But honestly, why would someone learning fractions and such need a calculator, let alone a graphing calculator. I'm going to be curious how school is going to be when I'm old enough to have children.

 

[ITG]

At the school I used to work at, the PTA moms would put together packages for each grade level with the school supplies. So kids would order the supplies the previous year before school was out and then have a pick up day sometime before school started. Many families would do that to save the convenience of having to go shopping.

 

[Twitch]

It's funny these school districts regularly have "found money" where they have realize that if they don't spend all of some money allocated for a program or whatever, they will lose it for next year so they piss it away in a hurry but, of curse, none goes to anything like school room supplies. :eusa_doh:

 

[jamespowers]

It's funny these school districts regularly have "found money" where they have realize that if they don't spend all of some money allocated for a program or whatever, they will lose it for next year so they piss it away in a hurry but, of curse, none goes to anything like school room supplies. :eusa_doh:

Ah, I see you have noticed that too. Don't you love baseline budgeting? :rage:

Regards,

J

 

[Rosie]

It's funny these school districts regularly have "found money" where they have realize that if they don't spend all of some money allocated for a program or whatever, they will lose it for next year so they piss it away in a hurry but, of curse, none goes to anything like school room supplies. :eusa_doh:

Ah, my cousin works for the state. Maybe two years ago, her department was in the same predicament. They bought, this is not a joke, 75.00 waste paper baskets for everyone, (over 200 workers) 1500.00 chairs for everyone, gave a few worker appreciation lunches, and hired a guy who my cousin swears only job is to follow the big man in charge and write down every noise that comes out of his mouth. This guy reportedly makes over 100,000 happens to have the same last name as the big man in charge.

 

[Air Boss]

School Budgets

In PA we have a law prohibiting the reduction in state aid to any district. Districts with declining enrollment still get the same amount of money year after year. There are rural districts that get $4,000 +/- in state funding per student. In the East Stroudsburg Area School District we get about $1,500 per child. The rest is made up by proerty taxes. With more and more families moving from NY and NJ the student population is going up with no end in sight.

There is no money for school supplies. Heck, our 7-year old middle school library is still practically bare! With my wife working in emotional support I see both sides - the frustration in the teaching trenches and the anger as a parent/taxpayer.

So what to do? In our case we buy the supplies and beat up our state repersentatives/senators about unequal funding of education. I wish I could afford a lawyer to sue the state. It seems to me that unequal funding should be unconstitutional.

I'm 49 and I remember needing a notebook, pens, pencils, protractor, slide rule (!!!) and brown paper bags to cover my books but not the stuff we are buying now.

Off Topic - Does any school district still have mandatory summer reading lists? Ours is voluntary and most teachers don't bother going over any of the recommended books because very few students read them.

 

[DancingSweetie]

In PA we have a law prohibiting the reduction in state aid to any district. Districts with declining enrollment still get the same amount of money year after year. There are rural districts that get $4,000 +/- in state funding per student. In the East Stroudsburg Area School District we get about $1,500 per child. The rest is made up by proerty taxes. With more and more families moving from NY and NJ the student population is going up with no end in sight.

There is no money for school supplies. Heck, our 7-year old middle school library is still practically bare! With my wife working in emotional support I see both sides - the frustration in the teaching trenches and the anger as a parent/taxpayer.

So what to do? In our case we buy the supplies and beat up our state repersentatives/senators about unequal funding of education. I wish I could afford a lawyer to sue the state. It seems to me that unequal funding should be unconstitutional.

I'm 49 and I remember needing a notebook, pens, pencils, protractor, slide rule (!!!) and brown paper bags to cover my books but not the stuff we are buying now.

Off Topic - Does any school district still have mandatory summer reading lists? Ours is voluntary and most teachers don't bother going over any of the recommended books because very few students read them.

At my younger daughter's school (parochial) there is a reading list of 3 books for incoming 5th through 8th graders. Of course this is mandatory. My older daughter is starting public high school and the only classes with a reading list are the honors English classes. When I was in high school (parochial) all the English classes had to read 5 or so books over the summer.

 

[CherryRed]

When I was in school you weren't required to bring anything. Paste came out of a big jar and everyone got a little bit on a piece of paper to use. Scissors were kept on a rack and had seens years of use. I even remember my first day of 1st grade and I brought my own pencil which wasn't even a requirement. When the teacher handed out pencils (small fat used pencils) I didn't take one. The next day I left my pencil at home and she accused me of stealing hers. Yes, she was one of the meanest teaches ever. She made my Mom come up to the school to show her how my pencil was different.
Anyway, my husband teaches HS English and doesn't require any special supplies. I really think it is the elementary kids getting the biggest lists. When my step daughter was in the little grades she always had very specifc things she had to have like a 1" white binder. Not a 1 1/2" or a 2"!! I think some teachers go to extreams in this respect. When I was in school as long and you has some kind of folder or notebook, no one cared what the color or size was. All that seems so silly to me.
One thing I know for certain is that the money saved on school supplies is NOT going into the teachers pockets!

 

[jamespowers]

Perhaps it was just my school district but even thirty years ago there were lists and you brought your own supplies. Nothing really has changed much since then here. I don't remember my parents not having to buy supplies like paper, writing instruments and the like. There were always supply demands and complaints about not having anything. [huh]

Regards,

J

 

[Twitch]

My wife and daughters all work for a local school district. Another thing they're famous for is hiring folks with tons of lofty degrees for 6 figure salaries but who have no actual people skills or business management skills. And running a school district is a business. They all scurry about creating a paper trail to prove how busy they are to justify their jobs.

 

[jamespowers]

My wife and daughters all work for a local school district. Another thing they're famous for is hiring folks with tons of lofty degrees for 6 figure salaries but who have no actual people skills or business management skills. And running a school district is a business. They all scurry about creating a paper trail to prove how busy they are to justify their jobs.

Same thing here except they hire tons of consultants as well. Then they wonder why they don't have any money. If you need a consultant then you are not qualified for the job---you should know what the job entails. :eusa_doh:

Regards,

J

 

[Lincsong]

Perhaps it was just my school district but even thirty years ago there were lists and you brought your own supplies. Nothing really has changed much since then here. I don't remember my parents not having to buy supplies like paper, writing instruments and the like. There were always supply demands and complaints about not having anything. [huh]

Regards,

J

Yeah, but remember right after Prop 13 passed, the school board closed all the showers after gym class, so when 5th and 6th period rolled around the stench from the kids who had gym in the morning was unbearable. But, then what do you expect from a San Francisco Bay Area School District? Classes on personal hygiene?

 

[Lincsong]

I could never understand "summer reading lists":eusa_doh: When school started, there were no tests on the books. So it seemed like a waste of time.

Well, anyway, in the mess of a town I grew up in, the School District sold a high school 18 years ago, put $1.6 million into a bank account and never touched it. All the while they were complaining about not having any money. In California the government workers think it is their right to be paid $100,000 a year with retirement at $80,000 a year after 25 years.:rage:

Lockers? It is ridiculous that school districts are trying to eliminate lockers. My, gosh, the janitors in California are paid $60,000 plus a year and they can't maintain lockers?:rage: Another goldbrick job if there ever was.:rage: They produce nothing, and only have to maintain the premises. I've seen fields turn brown because the school district won't turn on the well water so they can claim poor mouth.

 

[Twitch]

 

[Air Boss]

I could never understand "summer reading lists":eusa_doh: When school started, there were no tests on the books. So it seemed like a waste of time.

In High School we had a list of 10 - 15 books and had to select at least 5. Our first week back we were tested on our choices. Of course we also read many subversive tracts such as the Federalist Papers, the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, etc. My eldest (college sophmore) read them only under pain of death from Mom and Dad. I just don't get it.

 

[Roger]

I love this icon.lol lol lol

 

[jamespowers]

I could never understand "summer reading lists":eusa_doh: When school started, there were no tests on the books. So it seemed like a waste of time.

Well, anyway, in the mess of a town I grew up in, the School District sold a high school 18 years ago, put $1.6 million into a bank account and never touched it. All the while they were complaining about not having any money. In California the government workers think it is their right to be paid $100,000 a year with retirement at $80,000 a year after 25 years.:rage:

Lockers? It is ridiculous that school districts are trying to eliminate lockers. My, gosh, the janitors in California are paid $60,000 plus a year and they can't maintain lockers?:rage: Another goldbrick job if there ever was.:rage: They produce nothing, and only have to maintain the premises. I've seen fields turn brown because the school district won't turn on the well water so they can claim poor mouth.

They actually sold that high school for $3,000,000 remember? They were using the interest and just holding on to the principle for nearly two decades when we found out and called them on it. They finally admitted to having it. :eusa_doh: I think it was hidden in a tool called the LAIF fund if memory serves me right.
Actually I think we could have taken showers if we wanted to. I distinctly remember your friend Fingerut taking showers after PE.

Regards,

J

 

[Lincsong]

They actually sold that high school for $3,000,000 remember? They were using the interest and just holding on to the principle for nearly two decades when we found out and called them on it. They finally admitted to having it. :eusa_doh: I think it was hidden in a tool called the LAIF fund if memory serves me right.
Actually I think we could have taken showers if we wanted to. I distinctly remember your friend Fingerut taking showers after PE.

Regards,

J

What are you talking about? That smelly, stinking, dandruffed greasy haired pork product never took a shower at home yet after PE.:rage: And no you couldn't use the showers unless they had swimming at the pool.