The cost of class

Colleen Pearson smiled as her sons darted up and down the aisle at Target, putting items in her hand they liked.

"The hardest part is the 'I wants,'" Pearson said with a laugh.

With three kids in elementary school, she knows how hard it can be to shop for school, she said, estimating that supplies can add up to about $150.

"Not too bad," she said.

But she knows that other families can't afford it.

That's why when she can, she picks up a few extra materials to donate to her kids' school, Twin Lakes Elementary.

"On the supply list, they have certain things in bold that if you want you can buy extra and donate," the Rathdrum woman said. "Today, we threw in a couple extra glue sticks and crayons. Times are tough right now, so if you can buy an extra box of 25 cent crayons for someone, why not?"

It doesn't hurt to pitch in this year.

With a harsher budget environment, some schools are looking for different means of keeping classrooms and students equipped with materials.

Many are relying more on donations from parents and the community, or asking teachers to do more with less.

But schools are determined to keep a minimal financial burden on students, said Jerry Keane, superintendent of the Post Falls School District .

"We said, 'Let's try to keep the cost down to parents, yet still get the job done.' It's a tough balance," Keane said. "What I'd say for sure is if a family says, 'We just can't get it done,' whatever we've got to do we will to get them supplies."

School districts couldn't estimate what school supplies cost, but some parents say supplies can get up to $100 for high school students. Elementary supplies can cost maybe half or a quarter of that, depending on where they are purchased.

Nothing on Post Falls school lists is required, Keane said.

"One thing I can guarantee is no kid will go without," he said. "We have connections with the community to make sure kids have school supplies."

Already this year churches and local businesses have donated thousands of dollars worth of school supplies to the school district, he said.

"It's hard to estimate how many folks actually ask (for supplies), but there's been more community support than ever," he said.

Schools themselves are having more trouble providing classroom materials, however.

This year the state cut classroom supply money, funding that had provided hundreds of dollars for every K-12 teacher to use for classroom supplies and equipment.

"It's definitely having impacts on what teachers can do," Keane said.

The district is determined not to ask students the fill the gap, he said.

Instead, teachers are encouraged to work around it.

"We asked our staff to really be not only frugal, but front-end load to prepare for the next year, make supplies last further," Keane said.

Some teachers also provide supplies out of their own pockets, he added.

"I know our teachers are more than generous with their own money," he said. "They want to make sure they're providing the best quality education."

Hazel Bauman, superintendent of the Coeur d'Alene School District, said the district is also facing a harder time affording classroom supplies, especially with state cuts.

Still, the district asks principals to be conservative on supply lists, she wrote in an e-mail.

"We are also keenly aware that many of our families are struggling financially," Bauman wrote.

Community members and parents are helping with donations, she added.

"Because of their generosity and that of individual parents who 'oversupply' their child's classroom, we can provide free supplies to any family who finds this to be a burden," Bauman wrote. "Our teachers also continue to dig into their own pockets to keep their classrooms up and running, and I know of many who again discreetly donate supplies to economically challenged families."

Last year, state funds were the primary source of funding for lab supplies in science classes at Coeur d'Alene High School, according to CHS science teacher Eric Karns.

Now that those funds have been cut, he wrote in an e-mail, the primary source for lab materials are donations and fundraising.

"There will be labs this school year for all students in all of our classes, regardless of whether tickets and donations are received," Karns wrote.

Back to school shopping is up this year at Target, said spokesman Ryan Bungy.

He hasn't heard of any customers relying on donations, he said, but some classes are taking other routes.

"A couple guests told me that their school pools their supplies and by doing that, they're able to evenly distribute it through the class," he said.

Debra Ziebell, apparel division manager at Fred Meyer, said parents have been focused on finding deals.

"I think they're being much more conscious about buying the right things so they don't spend any more than they have to," she said.

At Fred Meyer on Friday morning, Kristin Parker was bent on saving.

"Those Crayolas cost $7, but these are only $1, so we bought these," she said, comparing two brands of colored pencils. "That's $6 we've saved already."

She always looks for deals when buying supplies for her 9 and 14-year-olds, she said.

She expects to pay more than $100 for both of their supplies, and that's before clothes shopping.

"It's usually steep for both," Parker said.

Her family is fortunate that it doesn't need free supplies from Bryan Elementary or Lake City High School, she said.

But she's glad that schools have donations to offer, just in case.

"Right now in our economy it is so important that schools help out," she said. "I know a lot of families that don't have jobs right now."

Lois Johnson picked up spiral notebooks as she shopped with her 10-year-old grandson, Trevor.

Right now Johnson's daughter and two grandchildren are living with her, she said, and she tries to pitch in with buying supplies.

"My daughter doesn't make enough money, and with everything - clothing, lunches and school supplies, grandma just has to do what she can to help out," Johnson said.

If she met any students who couldn't afford supplies, she said, she would try to help them herself.

"I wouldn't hesitate," she said. "Kids shouldn't have to suffer because of the economy."