Okay in all seriousness, I did have a parent ask for assistance but she has cancer and needs help...not really a case of "I don't feel like shopping"!!!
You know really, this is a prime time to look into those school supply fundraisers for the end of the school year and offer that idea as a solution! The PTO earns a few bucks and parents can order their supplies in advance! I hear oppertunity knocking!!!!!
Call me crazy, but I LOVE shopping for school supplies! I love a new box of crayons. My kids love it too. Yeah, sometimes the cost is an issue with me, but I know it's a part of life and it rolls around every July.
It was really frustrating when we had to find plastic 3-prong folders in every color of the rainbow (no kidding) for my son and then they decided they wouldn't use them. Ok, I could have bought 50 paper folders for what I spent on the plastic ones and had to make 3 trips to find all the colors. We are at least 30-45 minutes from a Wal-Mart. That was a little upsetting. But, other than that, I like school shopping!
No, they want someone else to pay for supplies, period. I agree, teacher money should be spent on classroom needs not glue sticks and crayons. Gotta love a survey!!
Is it possible what they meant was that they don't have to go out and buy the stuff because the PTO does one of those school supplies programs...you know where the parent pays for the supplies and they come to the school delivered in a kit for the kid????
I have just never heard of any school or PTO that uses its funds to buy the kids supplies. Furthermore the teachers should not have to spend their money buying the kids supplies. When we give our teachers money it is for them to buy stuff for the classroom. Students supplies are always the parents responsibility and I have never even heard a parent question having to buy their child their supplies.
Thanks for your replies. We recently sent home a survey about spending PTO funds this year and quite a few added comments about buying supplies so they didn't have to buy so much or giving teachers more money so they could buy them. The reality of that is that teachers don't spend the $100 PTO gives them on supply list supplies, they buy larger items needed for their classrooms. I guess these parents just don't see what all it takes to run a classroom. As I sat through dance lessons for my daughter the other night I overheard a couple of parents say they didn't have to buy anything that the school did it. Yeah, I was speechless!! So, I was really curious about how many actually do that.