I agree that it's unfair to take away children's supplies to redistribute. However, for really poor single mothers, you're trying to juggle your basic bills just to keep the electric on, the rent paid, food to feed them, clothes etc. It's clear that you don't understand that kind of poverty. It's good to have all the facts before forming opinions. When my girls were little, daycare costed more than my 50 hour a week job paid. One Christmas, we had to use Toys for Tots because I could not afford a single pack of crayons for them. We were lucky, I had a parent that could afford to buy my kids school supplies and school clothes. Most poor people don't have that. Also, the dollar tree is the worst idea for school supplies. The cheapest way to get them is to buy them at back to school sales at Target and Walmart. You can get notebooks for around a quarter each doing that while the Dollar tree will charge $1.25 each. Tissue and hand sanitizer are things you can get there that make sense.

This has nothing to do with not understanding poverty. This has to do with the expectation that one should be *required* to give to other people. That is not giving. Giving is a *choice* one makes freely. I'm not sure which person you are responding to but I don't see any of the possible people you could have responded to as saying anything that indicates they don't understand poverty. You yourself say that you agree that "it's unfair to take away children's supplies to redistribute". I personally think that if a school system is not going to have these things in their budget then maybe there can be a system where whoever chooses to donate supplies is completely anonymous. This can include reaching out to the community, churches etc . This is so twisted. There was never this kind of expectation put on parents or kids when I was a kid in the 70s and 80s. This is what taxes are for, or as I said, donations freely and anonymously given. This is just really bizarre.

Teachers won't admit it, but they are given around 200$ for supplies, but spend it on themselves like posters and decorations they can take with them then see it as a bonus. I was married to one and saw exactly how it was in three different states and in low income areas

I am w/a partner that initially had 4 kids under 18. We ended up spending around $150.00 per kid per school (4 kids, 3 schools) on the 'school supplies' REQUIRED purchases. Not the personal supplies for each kid, those were extra. ~~ We bought printer paper, white out, ink cartridges, pens, pencils, markers, & scotch tape for the front office & bandaids, rubbing alcohol, gauze, medical tape, & hydrogen peroxide for the nurse who was only there 1x a week. Per kid. It all had to be brand new in the package. They even required specific brands. We are the only renters on our block & we live in a fairly affluent area. WE are the poor family & we still had to buy classroom, office, and medical supplies for the school. ~~ Thankfully there was enough funding from the pandemic that we didn't have to buy anything except personal supplies this year for the 3 still in primary education, but it killed us for over a month financially every year. We only had a week to get everything before school started, & the lists changed year to year & school to school.

That sounds exactly like the lists we were given every year of my sons elementary school days as well. We were literally wondering what the school provided besides the actual bldg itself? The running joke with all the parents would be what next this year? Mandatory gift card providing teachers wardrobe now too? It was that bad.

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We do our part by giving the school faculty paychecks. I win. Enough said or defund, defund, defund. I'm totally serious. This stuff is past being old

Lol, you heard the term "defund" and then without understanding any of the context you were like "well, what about education, let's defund that". Yeah, that's how fascism starts.

I don't understand the connection between what he said and "fascism". Would you tell me?

I agree. that's the opposite of fascism. fascism would be forcing you to buy supplies your kids doesn't need and then giving them away

Supplies are a lot easier to get donated than money, so if you want an extra part time support staff and you want kids to have stuff, you pay for the first and ask for the second. I would love a system where public schools were all funded at a level where it would be silly to ask students to pay for classroom materials but that's just not going to end up making the cut for "essentials" in most schools, disappointing budget after disappointing budget. It does, of course, result in inequity, so I actually appreciate when schools just ask for money to get bulk supplies (with "need based exclusions" hopefully) and would truly love a system that actually provided reasonable budgets to provide for all students, but since nobody likes taxes and there genuinely are other great needs out there, I do understand. I would love to switch the military budget and literally any other budget for a year though.

You can visit whitehouse.gov to find out where tax money actually goes. Nobody likes taxes but we pay taxes. A lot of taxes. The states make billions from state lotteries that are supposed to fund schools except that since that was started? Schools have a lower budget now than before lotteries were advertised as helping schools. Tax money goes to rich people, special interests, and all kinds of stuff. Not roads, infrastructure, and schools.

I live in the US and worked for my city school district for 12 years. I assure you, every one of the8 schools in our district had supply rooms. Every teacher had an individual budget for supplies. Our district had the second highest rate of families on welfare in the state. But we still didn't steal from the kids. Supplies were donated by church groups, local businesses, and other members of the community that could help out. I am really saddened to hear this is happening in some parts of the country, but please don't perpetuate any more negative stereotypes on this site. We are 50 states that might as well be 50 separate nations at this point, because it seems like every one is a nation unto itself.

This! I work in a high poverty school district, we not only have a supply room but we ALSO serve breakfast and dinner to all of our students for free. My high school on the other hand was in a wealthy area, and it was the total opposite despite having more funds and a wealthier community. That’s why I work where I work now.

That is what a Republic is.

I've taught low income middle school students for 20 years in 3 states. Let me start by saying I have never (nor heard of) taken student supplies to share out with the class. We have always had supply rooms and supplies. The problem, especially in recent years, has been the selfish entitlement of many students to care about those supplies. Parents, you may buy the supplies, but it doesn't mean they use them. Numerous brand new pencils broken and left on floor. Markers shaken and snapped to spread ink over walls like blood splatter. Tape is used as fake fingernails. Glue spread like paint on desks. Many don't bother bringing a pencil to class (no matter how many days in a row I've given). Many parents buy supplies and then check out for the year. Why does your kid walk around with an empty backpack? Why do you believe them when they say they never have homework? Why are pencils too expensive but they have the newest iPhone? Why can I never reach parents by phone, email, mail?

Still not the parents problem. Parents who puts food on these teacher's tables mind you. This is THEFT!!!!

Teachers are doing more for most parents than most parents and even most tax payers, or even most tax payers, are doing for most teachers. When money that could go to better schools (or improving something for many citizens instead of a few rich property owners) goes to a stadium or a local monopoly or national oligopoly, THAT'S theft. And honestly, if we stopped funding all schools, most people wouldn't see a huge drop in taxes, but if we stopped funding the military we would see our national debt go to zero even if we cut our taxes by half. Tell me, are schools a waste while a trillion dollar military that "solves" toxic waste disposal by "just throwing it in a pit and burning it" is essential?

Allocation of funds by the local government isn't the fault of the individual parent. And isn't their responsibility.

Wow, you've definitely mixed some topics here. I agreed with everything you said up to the stop funding schools vs military. Schools are mostly funded by local taxes. The impact of these taxes varies by locality. So you've studied the local tax base of every locality in the US in order to make this wide ranging universal claim? Send us the link to your data and research.

Your response is ridiculous Parenta dont put food on teachers tables anymore than anyone puts food on others tables by earning a paycheck. You say that as if parents are handing teachers cash to teach their kid.

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Teachers are not self funding for students supplies. They're putting up rainbow flags and BLM posters.

Same in Finland, everybody gets needed stuff from school.

Today, the only things American kids get in public school are: 1. Beat up 2. Raped 3. Pregnant / STDs 4. Killed 5. Indoctrinated

Sorry, you spelled Catholic Church wrong, wasn't sure you noticed.

It's very common in a lot of areas. Funding for public schools is quickly going the way of the bird, especially as right-wingers push for more charter/private/religious schools.

Where do you live and do you pay taxes? SCHOOL TAXES GO UP EVERY YEAR. I pay 3x more in school real estate taxes. The reason charter schools are rising is greed. The money we're paying for public schools is not benefitting ANYONE. More money has not led to better outcomes. Time to make a change.

School taxes rise every year and schools see less and less of that money. Rich people get that money. Special interest groups get that money. More money going to actual schools WOULD lead to better outcomes.

PARENTS, DEMAND TO SEE HOW THE PRINCIPAL AND DISTRICT IS SPENDING THE SCHOOLS DISCRETIONARY FUNDS. Mr.J, might I suggest you do your research and get off MSNBC. My left-wing principal spent over $15,000 to pay some CRT nut-job to come talk to us. Everyone was forced to read his book and discuss weekly. Liberals are scared because society is finally seeing what liberal educators and principals are doing with their money. Conservative teachers have been screaming out for years about the damage that zero accountability and responsibility for student behavior and lack of effort is doing to society. Conservative teachers believe in vouchers because the money follows the student rather than just automatically funneled into local public schools. PS, charter schools are public schools.

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Considering that some of the best funded public schools have the worst budgeting problems and student outcomes, perhaps competition will help. They'll figure out where all that money is going and they'll spend more time actually teaching instead of indoctrinating kids into socialism like this stupid teacher.

Dude what are you talking about? I agree that this teacher was out of line but, the rest of your comment sounds like a 4chan comment section threw up. I barely have time to teach these kids how to write a 5 paragraph essay AND cite their sources.

Same here in Sweden, luckily.

It is absolutely NOT the normal. In my 20 years f teaching I've never heard of a teacher taking individual student supplies and sharing them out.

Not in my state, Puck. Maybe in some but definitely not all.

Puck, Im actually responding to Strawblurries above (for some reason they domt have a reply under their comment)... STRAWBLURRY, many teachers are funding in addition to what school/students bring. ESPECIALLY AS A SCIENCE TEACHER I spend hundreds every year buying supplies for labs. But please be specific, LIBERAL TEACHERS are putting up BLM posters etc, and LIBERAL principals are allowing it. CCONSERVATIVE TEACHERS ARE TEACHING AND HOLDING STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE.

I'm in Windsor and our elementary school provides everything needed for in class work. We can purchase a yearly agenda for $5 and I send I notebook to use for extra communication notes between myself and my son's teachers and aides because he's autistic and I like to stay on top of any issues that pop up. He literally starts school with his backpack, lunchbox and indoor gym shoes.

Durham region here......25 dollars for an agenda and we provide everything. I think it was 20 bucks for my sons last year's "year book" laser printed on regular white paper and held together with pins...lol not impressed.

Yeah, one of my kids has a supply list clearly labeled with "shared" and "not shared" sections, and another kid is getting things bulk and just charging parents a "supply fee", and both have notes that anyone who finds supplies a hardship can talk to staff about it privately and get it waived. That seems reasonable to me and I agree that the teacher in this example needs better communication skills. I get that a lot of schools have to choose between supplies and support staff etc. but there is a difference between a clear delineated request and getting mad or demanding something more or something different post de facto.