What the *()$*#.....

O.k. Maybe I don't understand how the world works anymore but public schools are really starting to piss me off....

Let's take a look at this...we are talking about a 6th grader (in Middle School now) and a freshman in high school....and I'm not factoring in clothing because that is all on us to decide how or what to buy our kids to wear (although depending on where they go to school you HAVE to make sure they get the right type of clothes so they fit in). High school supplies aren't so bad...I think we had to buy four 3-ring binders for his classes, dividers for the binders, pens, pencils, paper and a scientific calculator. Not too shabby! For the 6th grader we had to buy paper, pens pencils, colored pencils, erasers, a protractor, a compass (for math) composition books and the big killer here...a enclosed 3" 3-ring binder for him to carry around to all of his classes (not exactly cheap if you haven't priced them out...around $20)....and I'm pretty sure I've missed some items here....

Now...on to the "incidentals" as I will call them: High School: $30 for ASB card (kind of a necessity...definitely overpriced), school pictures (I think they are asking for you to sign a pact with the devil in your own blood this year....). Overall...not too bad!
Middle School: $5 for a school planner, $15 for an ASB card, school pictures...see above for cost,...now we get to the fun stuff....every teacher asks for a ream of copy paper (I guess they got cut off from Office Depot??), adult scissors for the teacher (are they selling 30 pair of scissors for each class on ebay??), Kleenex (this I can understand), hand sanitizer....I mean WTF??? I thought there were budgets in place for this kind of stuff?? What's next? Toilet Paper...an espresso machine for the teachers lounge..are the kids going to get hassled in the hallways by the staff for their lunch money??

So, I'm sitting on the couch last night staring at the lint in my wallet when here comes round 3...the 6th grader brings me his class syllibi for two more of his classes and what is mixed in with those??? Requests (maybe we should call them demands) from his teachers for us to kick in more cash for MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS for their classrooms!!!!!!! I mean, SERIOUSLY, if they are going to use a specific magazine for their teaching purposes shouldn't they put it in their FREAKING BUDGET????? Who is running these schools....the government??

Now I am asking you all....where do we draw the line as parents? How much should we contribute to the schools beyond what they ask us to in our taxes??? Do they want us to start paying for their kids daycare next?? Car payments so they can show up to work?? I wonder what would happen if I asked people associated with me at work for some of this stuff....I'm pretty sure I'd be told some pretty choice things.....