A Practical Alternative to the Hassle of Buying Back-to-School Supplies

The department stores now have their back-to-school supplies displayed in the main aisles. Some kids are excited, especially the small children. Most teenagers seem apathetic about their return to the classroom, and their parents are eagerly anticipating the day.

What the parents aren't so eager for are the costs of the school supplies. My total last year was over one hundred dollars for just two kids. I followed the lists provided by the school district and offered in the area stores. The lists, I thought, were exorbitant. It contained basic items such as pens, pencils, paper and notebooks, but also non-essential products. Among these were boxes of tissues, packages of band-aids, two dozen bottles of water, and safety pins.

I think it is preposterous for the school to ask parents to pay for these items. We already pay a standard school fee, usually close to one hundred dollars. I do not mind the fee. In fact, I would pay a higher standard fee if the school district would purchase the essential items for each student. The district could purchase in bulk, meaning it would cost much less than each parent is currently paying for the items.

Not only would this idea be cheaper for parents in the long run, but it would also eliminate some of the inherent problems with the current buy-your-own at the department store approach. The policy would guarantee that every student has the necessary supplies. Under the current arrangement, some underprivileged kids do not get buy them. They show up to school on the first day, and they often are pinpointed as careless students by teachers and peers. Many spend the rest of that school year manacled to the label of outcast.

Another advantage to the districts providing school supplies in the standard fee is prioritization. School officials would have to assess which materials were most essential in order to keep the fee total reasonable. They would have to account for the expenses, which would likely cut out the request for non-educational items such as the bottles of water, the tissue boxes and the band-aids.

Districts could also keep costs down by buying in bulk. The big orders would allow them to negotiate with companies that produce school supplies, who would cut prices to avoid losing such big orders to competitors.

Schools throughout the country are cutting back expenses during this financial crisis. Many districts have reduced staff, modified bus routes, and eliminated athletic programs. One logical way to save money would be to purchase school supplies in bulk rather than have each student's family buy the necessary items at area department stores.