School supplies can cause frustrations

GREEN BAY - It's time for back to school shopping: folders, notebooks, crayons, the essentials. But some school supply lists are surprising parents.

"Each kid has to bring two packages of copy machine paper for a total of six of them for the school," said mother of three, Karen Nies.

"There's been a lot of cuts so far in the school district and we're seeing a lot of it being put back on the parents," said Jeremy Frenz, Target store team leader.

Some parents say they're frustrated about the school supply lists because they're not just buying items for their child.

"You supply for the school," said Nies.

"As a parent it's kind of hard to pick up three boxes of crayons when I know my kid's not going to go through three boxes," said Tonya Cioni, Green Bay.

Frenz said he's seeing a new trend in school requirements for supplies: communal supplies.

"They pool their supplies together in the room and they distribute them. Obviously it's advantageous for students who might not be able to afford that," said Frenz.

But Executive Director of Learning for Green Bay's school district, Karen Vande Sande, said parents are only responsible for their child.

"We would not be asking parents to supply double of something so another student could receive those same supplies," said Vande Sande.

And she defends communal supplies.

"It's very common at the early elementary grades to have communal items because then they learn how to share," said Vande Sande.

Cioni is a parent and a teacher. She sees both sides of the issue and understands why some lists ask parents to buy more than they think they're kids need.

"When teachers are asking for multiple quantities, we don't have to worry about continually asking over the year. Things get broken, its right there," said Cioni.

But that still frustrates some parents, who say that can be a waste of money.

"Last year I bought three-ring binders and the kids didn't use them so this year when I see it on the list again, I'm not buying them," said Nies.

But parents say for the most part, they are buying all the supplies they're asked to, copy paper and all. They just hope they will be put to good use and contribute to their child's education.