By ALEX COSTELLO
While younger children in Island Park and Oceanside received lists for school supplies over the summer, high school students do not. That left parents like Kappel, whose son attends West Hempstead High School, and dozens of others in Staples last Wednesday afternoon, scrambling at the last minute to get what their children needed for classes. Kappel was on a line that wrapped around a few isles to near the back of the store.
"In elementary school, we used to be mailed a list in the middle of the summer," said Lisa Albury, another Island Park mother on the long line. "We had all the time to shop, price shop, take our time in getting all the school supplies.
"But because none of the teachers give us a list, the first day of school you'll find many parents on a line, because we have to buy all the supplies in a hurry because we don't have a list prior."
Elementary school teachers from each grade get together over the summer, discuss what materials will be needed for their classes and send out then a universal supply list for each grade, giving parents time to prepare and shop before school in September.
"[The teachers] know what they need in various classrooms and they decide on a grade level what would be the standard," said Island Park Superintendent Dr. Edward Price. "For example, kids that are in a advanced math class in 8th grade would have different needs from kids in the 7th grade."
But this pre-September preparation is not done at the high school level. Each teacher tells the students on the first day of class what supplies they'll need. Some aggravated parents said that this forces them to wait in the long lines after the first day of school, and gives them little opportunity to price shop.
"The kids are older, and probably the feeling is they can be told when they get back what's needed," said Oceanside Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown. "By the time they get to high school, they're older and they can probably get [they're supplies] by themselves. I think it's probably as simple as that."
But having each teacher give the students a separate supply list leaves some parents feeling as if they're unnecessarily buying the same item multiple times for no reason.
"I think it's somewhat redundant," said Mariana Blanco, a mother from Hewlett. "Each subject requires a separate notebook. Plus, kids are no longer allowed to use spiral-bound notebooks. I mean, we're talking about high school, it's a little controlling.
"And each teacher gave a separate list, which is also somewhat complicated."
Some parents don't understand why the task of shopping for school supplies should fall to them in the first place.
"It's a disgrace," said Eddie Mari, a grandfather from Oceanside. "And the school supplies zero ... They could buy a quantity. They could buy $30,000 worth of stuff and the children would pay half the price.
"All these schools should buy and they should set two or three days where you go and buy the stuff right from the school. And they'd get all their money back. It's ridiculous."
In Island Park, however, the PTA take part in an ordering program.
"In our school district, the teachers on each grade level get together and they make the list," said Price. "The PTA then, through some company, does the ordering for parents and they distribute the stuff."
After the PTA orders the supplies, they arrive at the school a few days before classes begin, and parents can come pick up the supplies. The program is not mandatory, and parents are still free to buy their own supplies. But getting them pre-packaged from the PTA can make things a lot easier on parents.
For others, the fact that they could not shop around earlier led them to believe that they were paying too much.
"Yes [I'm paying too much] because you don't have the time to price shop," said Albury. "You have more of an opportunity to shop around at different stores, rather than just feel like you have to go to one store and buy everything."
But, even though some parents felt they were paying too much, others took the process in stride and realized that they are buying materials their children need to function well in school.
"It's very expensive," Blanco said. "I'm not so sure how people who are on a very limited budget can afford this. The vendors have the same problems we have with items going up in price and transport costs and everything else, so it's hard for me to say if it's too much or not. I think Staples gives you relatively good value, which is why the line is all the way to the back of the store.
"I can't really complain too much," she added. "That's just how life is."
Comments about this story? ACostello@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
