As all parents know, school supply lists grow longer every year. As all teachers know, those lists would be even longer if they didn’t spend three to four times the amount they are allotted for classroom purchases.

Schools and stores have done a good job of teaming up to make the shopping go smoother. Can’t find that list the school sent home last spring? No problem. Your favorite store probably has the list for you – conveniently located next to the supplies your kids will need.

But there are a couple of good questions that gnaw at many parents as they search for erasers (pink, please) or notebook binders (2-inch, please) or scissors (Fiskars, please):

1.) Why didn’t my parents have to buy all this stuff? 2.) How much can parents be expected to spend?

It’s not unusual for a Spokane parent with two children in elementary school to spend about $150. That’s before being confronted with the optional items and deciding whether their children will be at a disadvantage if they go without.

Pencils, glue, tissue paper … few parents will quibble with those. But $100 calculators and flash drives for storing computer files? Ouch!

It doesn’t take much imagination to see that those items will eventually migrate from the optional list to the required one, as have colored highlighters (yellow, please), Ziploc bags (one-quart, please) and protractors (movable arms, please).

Some schools across the country are even requesting toilet paper.

It seems that one day legislators will supply the teachers and the buildings, and parents will be asked for the rest. One unfortunate consequence of this cost-shifting to teachers and parents is that it pits the two against each other. That’s not a productive way to begin the school year.

It’s commendable that many businesses and nonprofit organizations launch drives each summer to collect school supplies for low-income households. The challenge for those parents is greater than ever. But states are supposed to supply the means for a basic education.

And because states have avoided fully meeting that obligation, school officials are increasingly tapping local levy money and turning to parents and teachers for supplies that schools used to distribute themselves.

As a result, the gap grows between poorer schools and those flush with parent-teacher group money.

Here’s a request for Washington state legislators in their upcoming discussion about reforming the basic education formula to bring about more equitable funding:

Add school supplies to the list, please.