Spokane Public Schools limits supplies required for elementary students

Shopping for back-to-school supplies has gotten easier and less expensive for some students.

The region’s largest district, Spokane Public Schools, is limiting the number of supplies required for elementary-school students.

Kevin Morrison, district spokesman, said the fact that Spokane schools have 60 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals means many families are struggling to pay their bills.

As a result, he said that school board members have asked the district to try and pare costs to parents.

“That month of August can really set you back,” Morrison said about the costs associated with attending public schools.

The district developed a new master school-supply list over the past year with input from teachers. Nearly 630 elementary-school teachers responded to a survey about what supplies should be mandatory.

In kindergarten through grade 2, students need a pair of athletic shoes and a backpack.

By grade 3, supplies for art and writing projects are added to the list.

Grades 4 through 6 have additional supplies that are required, including notebooks, colored pencils, highlight markers and folders.

The master supply list is posted on each school’s web page at spokaneschools.org.

In the past, the required supplies varied widely from classroom to classroom, Morrison said.

Now, the district is going to make additional supplies available to classroom teachers who might need them rather than requiring students to provide them.

The district is using part of a $15 million budget increase from state lawmakers to pay for classroom supplies provided by the district.

Some of that money is also going to reduce class sizes in kindergarten through grade 3, to provide all-day kindergarten and to lengthen the elementary school day by 30 minutes.

The district has set a goal of averaging 17 students per classroom in kindergarten through third grade, Morrison said.

In addition, the district has been looking at class fees charged in middle and high school grades with an eye to reducing the costs paid by families.