One of the oldest tricks in the book to tug at those heartstrings and loosen those wallets. Create the perception of underpaid but dedicated schoolteachers in search of pencils and paper for their under-served students. Designed to make taxpayers ashamed for wanting to cut or even hold steady the school budget.
It works. So they will keep using those tactics.
BTW, school supplies cost next to nothing. Office supply juggernauts like Staples, WB Mason and Office Max have driven down costs enormously. Here, you can get a box of 150 #2 pencils- enough to supply a classroom for a year - for about $12, or eight cents each. I'm sure school systems can purchase in bulk and bring the price-per-pencil down substantially more than that.
BTW, school supplies cost next to nothing. Office supply juggernauts like Staples, WB Mason and Office Max have driven down costs enormously. Here, you can get a box of 150 #2 pencils- enough to supply a classroom for a year - for about $12, or eight cents each. I’m sure school systems can purchase in bulk and bring the price-per-pencil down substantially more than that.
This is so true, if you look at a school budget, supplies are not even 1% of most school budgets, if there is a shortfall and need more money (raise taxes) school supplies is the first thing they threaten to cut, that and textbooks, arts, music, vocational programs, athletics. The programs that students and parents see and like the most. They never threaten to cut the Assistant Supervisor to Language Arts Curriculum (At 130K per year at fully benny package) because nobody would care...