The Hidden Costs of Back-to-School: A Look at Today’s Supply Lists

Reality has a unique way of shocking us into recognizing that our youth is no more than a distant memory.

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The proximity of the new school year hit me with one of those "reality checks" when it occurred to me that I attended school in Caddo Parish way back in the 1970's.

And over the past fifty-plus years, the entire school process has changed in so many ways. Most schools all have air conditioning now. I recall when only certain class rooms or buildings were blessed with a/c.

Back then, school didn't begin until after Labor Day, but now, Bossier Parish and DeSoto Parish kids are down to just the last couple weeks of summer vacation and are set to return to the classroom on Thursday, August 7.

Webster Parish students will return on Monday, August 11 and Caddo Parish students go back on Wednesday, August 13.

That means that forward thinking parents are already in "school supply shopping" mode.

It's a dreaded task for even the most dedicated parents, but it's a job that parents won't have to endure in DeSoto Parish this year, because all children will receive the school supplies from the school district.

The only items that DeSoto parents will have to purchase is school uniforms and a mesh/clear backpack for each child.

However, for parents in the other NWLA parishes, back to school supply shopping can be nearly as stressful as Christmas shopping, especially for those with multiple children at various age levels.

The supply lists are completely different for little ones in elementary school, while those in middle school, and high schoolers have an even more complicated list to complete.

It's some of the items on that list that sparked a discussion recently between some local young parents and myself.

As these younger people began to list the supplies on their lists, I was totally shocked to learn that items like hand sanitizer, Kleenex tissues, paper towels and such, were all on there.  It occurred to me that none of these items would have ever been on a school supply list in 1975.

Some parents will literally go into sticker shock when they see the cost associated with school supplies, and for a single parent with multiple school aged children, it can become a huge expense.

These are expenses that parents of '70's kids never really had to fork over. Or, did they? I mean, is it all relative?

When I researched this year's school supply list for first graders at a local Bossier Parish Middle School, here's what I found:

$10.00 Technology Fee
All students must purchase PE Uniform from the PE teacher for $30
Headphones/Earbuds (To Be Used With Chromebooks). 3.5mm Plug.
2 Packages of Notebook Paper
3 Packages of Pencils (Must Replace During The Year) Large Pack
2 Rolls of Paper Towels (Boys Only)
2 Boxes of Kleenex (Girls Only)
1– 1 Inch White 3-Ring View Binder With The 5 Tab Dividers
1- Box of Colored Markers
1 - One Inch Three-Ring Binder With Dividers
2 White One Inch Three Ring Binders With Dividers
4 Highlighters And 1 Pack Colored Pencils
(Must Replace During The Year)
2 Package of Dry Erase Markers
1 Packet of Lined Paper
2 Red Pocket Folder With Prongs
1 Notebook At Least 3 Subject
1 Packet of Lined Paper
1 Pack of Graph Paper
1 Box of Bandaids

The list wasn't shocking, but it certainly didn't look like a minor expense either.

Everything looked reasonable for the world we live in today, but this list looks so different than the one I brought home in 1975.

My list included things like spiral notebooks, a three-ring binder, Elmer's paste, loose leaf notebook paper, #2 pencils, index cards and as I got older, the list included things like compass and protractor, and a slide rule. (Yeah, I'm that old)

I guess the biggest difference in the past 50 years is the sheer cost of the supplies. My Mom could get everything we needed at the old Atlantic Spartan for $10 a kid. And looking at today's lists, I'd be surprised if most people don't have to finance what's needed.

Course it's really cyclical. I mean, when my Dad looked at our supply lists he'd shake his head and say, "I still don't know what you need all this stuff for. When I was a kid we only needed a Big Chief notebook and a #2 pencil and we were good to go."

So, the moral to the story is, change is inevitable. Your kids will one day complain about the cost of their kids' supplies, but at the same time, they'll fondly reflect on how "easy" life was when all they needed was hand sanitizer, Clorox disinfecting wipes and earbuds.