By ELIZABETH COMEAUStaff Writer
Julee Grass said she and her two children look forward to the annual back-to-school shopping trip.
"It's like a scavenger hunt in the beginning of the school year and each of them finds what they need," said Grass, of Vassalboro.
But through the years, she said, the list of school supplies has grown to include more than No. 2 pencils, pens and notebooks. Now, it's not uncommon to find calculators, tissues and even anti-bacterial soap on the list.
"Teachers have extremely limited budgets for their classrooms, and they're forced into buying standard items for the classroom," said Grass, whose children attend Vassalboro Community School. "So in addition to our kids' regular needs, we get a teacher's wish list every year."
Many parents find the lists overwhelming, especially when added to what they pay in taxes for their children's schools.
According to Jim Rier, director of finance and operations with the state Department of Education, the statewide per-pupil operating cost for Maine schools last year was $7,760.
That's up about 5.9 percent from $7,331 in 2003-04. That cost includes all general fund costs -- including teacher salaries.
It does not include capital projects, debt, tuition, transportation -- or the growing list of supplies parents are being asked to provide.
Janet Preston, of China, said she spent $35 on school supplies at Staples in Waterville and she plans to spend "a couple hundred" on clothes for her two kids.
According to the National Retail Federation, that "couple hundred" will be the norm this year. The average family will spend about $527, up from $443 in 2005, the federation reports.
SPENDING
For William C. Shuttleworth, superintendent of School Union 47 schools, any money spent by parents is too much.
School Union 47 includes the towns of Arrowsic, Georgetown, Phippsburg, West Bath and Woolwich.
Shuttleworth said parents should not be paying for school supplies.
"Whatever children need to be successful, I feel it is our duty to budget for and pay for in the school system," Shuttleworth said. "Let's face it. most parents can probably go out and buy a couple of notebooks, but what about the parents that can't? No matter how privately we try to slip a child supplies, that child is going to be marginalized."
Shuttleworth added: "My feeling is that everyone should be walking in empty-handed. My superintendent colleagues probably want to put duct tape on my mouth, but that's how I feel. There should be no laundry list of things parents should provide."
Four Augusta elementary schools -- Farrington, Gilbert, Hussey and Lincoln -- post just such a back-to-school "laundry list" at local stores.
The list, which suggests different supplies for specific grades, includes glue sticks, tissues, crayons, spiral notebooks, pocket folders, three-ring binders, Post-It notes and markers.
Carolyn Neighoff, principal at Farrington Elementary School, said not every teacher sends home a list of supplies for the upcoming school year.
The lists are just suggestions, she said.
"Some teachers have special lists," Neighoff said.
"If you're watching the summer sales, you can get all of that stuff for very little cost. But I don't know how many people watch the sales."
HIT THE SALES
Madison resident Ann Heald said she found good deals on basic school supplies -- pencils, erasers, markers, crayons, scissors and glue -- for her 6-year-old son. She said she spent $60 to $70 on clothes, just $6 on school supplies.
"We hit the sales," Heald said. "We got a lot of good deals, but it's still more than we had to do when we were kids."
Amy Theriault of Sidney, whose daughters attend Messalonskee, said she had to spend more for supplies for her younger daughter, Brandi, an eighth-grader, compared with her older daughter, Britney, a junior in high school.
"Just on school supplies, I've spent at least $70 or better," said Theriault, who said she doesn't recall so much shopping when she was a Messalonskee student. We didn't need as much, I guess. It was all pretty basic."
Judy Freeman, a Montville mother of four, agreed.
"Growing up, it was like I'd get two sets of pants, shirts and some notebooks and that's it."
Staff Writer Christina Sobran contributed to this report.
Elizabeth Comeau -- 623-3811, Ext. 433
ecomeau@centralmaine.com
Average school supply cost:
Pencils (one pack of 10): $1.47
Erasers (three-pack): $1.48
Glue sticks (eight): $13.52
Crayons (box of 16): $1.49
Colored pencils (box of 24): $4.85
Four spiral notebooks: $13.72
Six pocket folders: $5.28
One large box of tissues: $4.19
Total: $46
Source: prices averaged from Wal-Mart, Staples, K-Mart
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