Geneva resident Lindsay Bergman approached her back-to-school shopping in a very organized way earlier this month.
“I have a list here of what I need, and with a yellow marker I’m crossing out what’s still left from last year,” Bergeman explained inside the Target store at 115 Randall Road in Batavia. “I have to shop for my three kids, so it’s an extra expense, but it’s pretty good to recycle the supplies that came home last year that I didn’t use. I do this every year. For me, it’s like going shopping with a shopping list.”
As the new school year begins, parents are once again opening their wallets to purchase the school supplies their students need to complete a variety of assignments and projects both in and outside the classroom.
According to a report released by the National Retail Federation, “households will spend an average of $875 on back-to-school essentials in 2024.”
The report says that this is down from a record high of $890 set last year, but it is unlikely to ease the financial burden for people struggling to pay mortgages, travel and food bills.
Officials with West Aurora School District 129 say they are aware of the budget challenges families are facing and have taken steps to address them again this year.
“We really see the need and we want to help families, but we know we can’t do it alone,” said Anna Gonzalez, director of community engagement for the West Aurora School District, which serves about 12,000 students.
“We actually partnered with about eight other community partners to organize a ‘Back-to-the-Books’ event through which we distributed 2,300 backpacks filled with specific school supplies that corresponded with the school supply list for the upcoming school year,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said the district is happy to provide some relief “even if it’s not everything families need” and that the district understands the budget challenges people are facing.
“We carefully review our supply list each year to make sure there is nothing wasted on it, and we make sure our school supply lists are fair between school buildings so that one school’s elementary list is the same as another,” she said. “We try to be good stewards of not only the resources we have, but also what we ask families to bring and provide for their children each year. We know costs are rising and we are taking steps to address that.”
Shelby Ottam of Batavia, in her first year as a teacher at Howard B. Thomas Elementary School in Burlington, said she has “no doubts” about the National Retail Federation’s spending projections.
“When you look in the classrooms, there are a lot of extra supplies, like crayons and markers, and as teachers, we try to provide as many as we can for students who can’t bring all of those supplies,” she said. “It’s great that parents provide those things for their kids, but some people aren’t in a position to do that, so as a new teacher, I try to ask veteran teachers about using the extra supplies to try to ease their burden.”
Amy Hawk of West Chicago, who teaches special education and life skills at West Chicago Community High School, was shopping for her personal essentials at the Target store in St. Charles recently.
She said she spends about $500 a year on her own materials because her kids “go through a lot of markers and tissues and classroom basics.”
Emily Richbell of St. Charles and her 7-year-old son, William, shop for school supplies recently at the Walmart at 150 Smith Road in St. Charles. (Courtesy of David Shallos/Beacon-News)
“It’s different in high schools. There aren’t a lot of classrooms that expect families to give things. In my program, we’re fortunate to have families that donate things, but it’s never expected,” Hawk said. “I think especially since the pandemic, school districts are trying to do things to help. There’s been a push to give back to the community.”
The mothers shared their own thoughts about the new school year and seemed ready for what was to come.
Kerrin Anzalone was shopping at the St. Charles Walmart when she said her daughters, Audrey, 8, and Olivia, 5, were “buying pretty much the same things they did last year.”
“Folders, glue and things like that are about the same price,” she said.
Emily Richbell of St. Charles and her 7-year-old son, William, also shopping at the same Walmart, said the experience was new to her “because we just moved here from Hong Kong and are new to the area.”
“I haven’t bought anything here in the last year, but so far the prices haven’t really surprised me,” she said, scanning the shelves. “I think the extra expense is fine for us, but I think it might be stressful for others. It’s an unwelcome bill.”
David Shallos is a freelance reporter for Beacon News.
