[mommytoEli]

imagine my surprise when i move out of CA only to discover that other states have parents buy all their children's supplies and want parents to pay a fee for each class they take....about $25 per teacher. i have never heard of this...and they do not word it as a "donation." it is expected. does this happen in most places? let's poll it.


editing myself to add that as a school teacher in CA, we had to be careful even publishing a "wish list" asking for donations of glue sticks....and we could not even ask a child to bring a sheet of paper to school! but in TN, i just spent almost $100 on my son's school supplies (including supplies that go to his classroom), and now find myself writing checks from 10-25 dollars for EACH of his teachers. tomorrow i will have the total for my other 2 children, and their supplies were both over $100! this is not something i am used to. what's up in other states?

feel free to click as many poll choices as you need to!

[Alexismandyjr]

Yikes... No student fees in Florida. We are given a list of school supplies needed and they are listed by grades. I just went school supply shopping for my two girls and spent about $130.00 per child.

[BrandyHagz]

Yup.

It was bad in North Carolina (altho, not as bad as it could have been, since we were in a military town) - but once we moved to Chicago - I was FLOORED.

Hole Lee Cow.

It was several hundred dollars, plus I had to buy a book or two if I remember.

Our taxes were pretty crazy as well.

Here, we don't buy a thing.

[Alexismandyjr]

Brandy, where do you live? I think we need to relocate! LOL.

[mommytoEli]

glad it is not just TN....being a CA girl nearly my entire life, i didn't even know this existed! i better stop having kids....the bills are worse than Christmas time! lol.

[DPline]

Holy Moly! That is a LOT!

We get a school supply list, but I don't think I have more than $10-$15 max. in supplies total for Alec. Crayons, markers, highlighters, folders, etc. Nothing expensive. I am 'recycling' a lot from last year so it is lower than usual, but I think even if I had to buy everything it would be under $20. And I used to think that was bad! I now have a whole new perspective!

The room mothers usually ask for $5 or so per student to cover class parties, etc. and we usually have to pay something for field trips (3-4 a year at under $5.00 ea.) but that is all we pay for.

[BrandyHagz]

I am in Arizona.

It's a trade off...you get rain, mild summers (and by mild, I mean below 100 degrees) and we get free school supplies.

It works out in the end

I'd be happy to trade my electric bill for some school supplies, if there are any takers?! $569 for July...

[jandc]

We can either go with the list to stores and purchase the items or do what I do, order it thru the school in the spring and there is a box awaiting us at registration in the fall. So simple. Either way it is in the range of 60 to 70 dollars. Some are supplies for my student, some are for the classroom. It is probably only a few dollars more than doing it myself but I figure what I save on gas, time and aggrevation, it is well worth it. Then there are all the incidentals along the way. Class parties, teacher gifts, field trips... I would rather write one check at the beginning and not think about it again but oh well.

[ERAmy]

i didnt vote for student fees but we do have to pay the school a fee of anywhere between $40-80 depending on where you live, amount of kids etc.
we buy supplies for our son.

i dont complain at all. i understand our taxes help fund the school already but we live in a great school district and im happy to give whatever i can so that my kids get a great education.

[karla-k]

I just bought $20 worth of school supplies for my 3rd grader and have to send $5 for music. No other costs except lunch money

My SIL lives in Chicago and is constantly complaining of the school fees she pays for her kids...hundreds of dollars each like PP said.

We lived in another district a couple of years ago, same city, and had to send much more in the way of classroom supplies for the teachers: construction paper, expo markers, wipes, etc. Our teachers here must have more of those things supplied than at our other school.

Karla
mom to 3 great bio kids,
And relaxing in the Kyrgyzstan waiting room
Dossier done,
#1 in the boy line with our agency
and now, just waiting....

[finallyamom0310]

We pay for school supplies here in he North East but not fees.

[Mindybeth6]

OMG are you SERIOUS???? We don't pay ANY fees of ANY sort for ALec to attend school, or Mikayla for that matter. We have a school supplies list for Alec and I spent $8 on his supplies and $10 for the Speed Racer bookbag he wanted. Period. That was it. Here was his list of school supplies:

1 pack of fat pencils
1 pack of 8 count fat crayons
blunt point child's scissors
4 glue sticks
1 bottle of glue
1 old shirt for painting
Plastic box for supplies labeled with your child's name

BOYS: Bring one pack of fat highlighters
GIRLS: Bring one pack of 8 count markers

EACH STUDENT BRING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING/YOUR CHOICE:
1 box of Kleenex
1 pack of dixie small cups
1 roll of paper towels

That's it. I got my stuff at Wal Mart with all their school supplies stuff sale and got all name brands and like I said, paid $8!!!

If I had to pay those types of fees I have no idea what I would do! Some parents can't afford extra stuff like that! HELLO! Federal law says all children will be provided a FREE AND APPROPRIATE EDUCATION. I don't see how they get away with asking for money like that? I understand pay to play when it comes to sports and even fees for bus riding when the schools are in financial crisis....but NOT for your child to "just attend." I would be upset!

This is IT.

[crick]

Don't move to CO if you are in a free state then.

We are responsible for all the supplies for each kid, classroom supplies are divided up amongst girls & boys for clorox wipes, kleenex, ziplocs, hand sanitizer etc., book fees for elementary level is $6 per child and then they also this year asked for donations of copier paper, bandaids and something else.

We do have the option of buying the box supplies through the school but I refuse to spend $70 per child and it's cheaper for me to get them on my own. This year my 6th grader needed "Wiki Sticks" - craft item. Not for art, oh no...for READING. I wish our list was small but it's not. Spiral notebooks, composition books, notebook paper, binder, folders, crayons, markers, colored pencils, pencils, pens, protractors, and on and on and on! They are also required to have a "planner" - basically a calendar notebook. They do "ask" that you purchase them through the school for $6 but it's not required.

If you want a yearbook or school directory, you can purchase those. A yearbook for elementary = $20.

Middle school fees go up and then when you get into high school, you can end up paying quite a bit for book fees. One mom I know spent around $200 for her kid's freshman year. A yearbook for highschool is around $60 I think?

Ya...it sucks!!!!

[shelbydog]

Like Mindybeth here....we buy a small list of supplies for our child only. No other fees to the teacher or school. Our teacher does send home a list of things she could really use for the classroom for donations - things like Kleenex, wipes, etc. which we are more than happy to help with.

I am floored also by "several hundred dollars!!!" Wow.

[DeeVee]

I clicked "voted just to see the poll" because Gabriel goes to a private school (where I have to buy school supplies for him and for the class, but there are no additional fees for classes).

Yes, in TN there are school supplies to buy - both for your child and for the class, and I'm fairly certain that's the norm here in WA public schools as well. Also, my SIL is in a very good public school district on Long Island, and she buys school supplies as well, though I don't think there are fees for the classes (but wait .... maybe there are fees for things like science lab, come to think of it).