DEARBORN — By the time Sandy Lansing bought the paper,
folders, markers and other school supplies requested by her kids’
teachers, she’d spent $100.
Then she paid $100 more for her son’s high school graphing
calculator.
“I asked him, ‘Doesn’t the school supply any of this?’ ” said
Lansing, whose three children attend Dearborn Public Schools. “It really
hurt.”
Parents such as Lansing now are filling ever-longer lists of school
supplies after funding-starved school districts again cut back on
spending.
Items like construction paper, cleaning supplies and even copy
machine cartridges have moved from school budgets to family budgets,
increasing the cost of education to parents and forcing families to
choose between paying out or claiming hardship.
The Livonia Public Schools, for instance, facing a $10 million budget
gap this year, cut $174,000 from the budget for classroom supplies.
It’s not just happening in Michigan. Nationwide, families with
school-aged children are expected to spend an average of $73.06 on
markers, crayons, folders, tissues and other classroom items this year,
according to the 2004 Back-to-School Consumer Intentions and Actions
Survey, conducted by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation.
State law prevents schools from requiring parents to buy basics like
paper and pencils. After some parents complained to the state in 2003,
the Michigan Department of Education sent letters to public school
districts reminding them of the things they are required to provide for
students.
More than a dozen districts, including Avondale in Oakland County,
were singled out for unlawfully requiring parents to buy essential
educational supplies, such as pencils or paper, or improperly charging
registration or participation fees.
No school districts have been targeted for noncompliance so far this
year, Department of Education spokesman Martin Ackley said. But supply
lists remain a concern for state officials as tight budget constraints
have tempted schools to pass some of the financial burden off to parents
and students.
Teachers walk line
For districts, the deepest cuts came last year or the year before.
Rochester Community Schools cut its supply budget by $350,000 in 2003.
And the Southfield district cut spending for classroom supplies by
$150,000 in 2002.
Teachers have to walk a fine line between asking parents for
donations and making them feel compelled to buy items that some may not
be able to afford, said Dearborn kindergarten teacher Jane Mazza.
“We’re kind of savvy — we’re schooled in the art of asking in a nice
way, but it always has to be a donation,” Mazza said.
Donation or not, the lists can be costly, especially when parents
need to pay for an expensive calculator or band instrument.
Many parents don’t want their child’s teacher to be left holding the
bag.
When Annette O’Ray’s 4-year-old daughter, Grace, entered kindergarten
this fall, the teacher asked for instant hand sanitizer, cotton balls,
glue sticks, a container of disinfecting wipes and snack-size Ziploc
bags.
“You can’t expect the teachers to buy it all, so we have to,” O’Ray
said.
Teachers surveyed by the Maryland-based National School Supply and
Equipment Association expected to spend an average of $458 out of their
own pockets this year. Teachers can write off business expenses, but the
amount they spend often does not meet the threshold for taking a
deduction.
Patty O’Leary, a first-grade teacher at Thorne Primary School in
Dearborn Heights, figures she spent nearly $500 on classroom supplies
over the summer and will spend a total of about $1,500 by year-end.
“We could get through the day with just what we have, but if teachers
can make something really spectacular and great, they’ll go out and get
the things they need for more than a typical lesson,” O’Leary said.
A hardship for some
For families that live hand-to-mouth, a long supply list can be a
source of guilt and hardship. O’Leary often buys supplies for children
who come to school without. She provided a backpack for one child this
year.
Some districts and community groups, especially in lower income areas
including Lansing and Detroit, have special programs to supply backpacks
and supplies for low-income children.
But those without special programs rely on parents.
In Mount Clemens, Phalanda Jones shops sales and discount stores for
copy paper and ink cartridges for the school. And she brings extra
cleaning products, snacks and school supplies to her children’s
classrooms so that no child will go without.
“A lot of people don’t have a lot of money to spend, so I donated a
lot of supplies,” said Jones, who has second- and third-grade sons at
Alexander Macomb Academy in Mount Clemens.
“The teachers asked for everything from Kleenex to hand soap — the
budget has been cut so much.”
You can reach Karen Bouffard at (734) 462-2206 or mailto:kbouffard@detnews.com
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