School supplies: San Diego educators share their best tips for how to shop smart

Shopping for school supplies can be a lot of fun, until the receipt shows the jaw-dropping total cost.

Families are expected to spend around $860 per child for back-to-school expenses this year, including supplies, electronics, shoes and clothes. Supplies alone cost around $140. That is according to the National Retail Federation.

To help families make the best choices given their budgets, the San Diego Union-Tribune asked two San Diego educators all about school supplies: how to save, when to shop, if it’s OK for families to opt out of classroom wish lists, if classroom supplies like markers and printer paper are essential needs or whimsical wants, and more.

Plus, details on deals from two big chain stores.

The experts

Ali Ohnersorgen, a third-grade teacher at Benchley/Weinberger Elementary in San Diego (and a mother of school-aged children).

Michel Cazary, the Area B superintendent and a former principal at Spreckels Elementary in San Diego.

The questions

Q: What if I can’t afford everything on a classroom supply list? Will my kid or family be judged? And does this depend on the school or community?

Cazary: There are no requirements for students to start school except the student! Teachers spend time to ensure classrooms are ready to go with all the needed items so students can learn on the first day. Lists are suggestions of things a parent may want to consider purchasing for a classroom’s common use and/or things that a child may like having. Please note any needed instructional items are provided by the school.

Ohnersorgen: Most teachers at my last two sites have Amazon wish lists and ask for donations for tissues, cardstock, good expo markers, etc., but they aren’t requirements for each year. Many parents ask for those lists from teachers at the beginning of the year at my current site, but we’re also lucky enough to have a PTA and foundation that host fundraisers throughout the year that raise a lot of money for teachers to spend on classroom supplies throughout the year.

Judgment: No. Most families send in bulk items that all students use …. I would guess judgment depends on communities but I never experienced it for students in all of my 19 years in education.

Q: Can I buy cheaper off-brand or generics, or must it be Crayola or “Pentel Hi-Polymer” if that’s what the supply list states? 

Cazary: If parents are choosing to purchase items, families should make choices that are comfortable for them and fit within their budget. If teachers are asking for specific donations that states a brand, you may want to check with your child’s teacher for specifics.

Q: Can I completely veer from the list and just bring stuff I think will be useful?

Cazary: Classroom wish lists are usually carefully curated by teachers to represent true need in the classroom. Bringing in and/or donating additional items without checking in with the teacher can create a surplus of unneeded items that require storage space. It is always best to check in with your child’s teacher before veering from a suggested list.

Ohnersorgen: Most teachers are forever grateful for whatever items families bring in. That being said, sometimes you get what you pay for. Cheap pencils don’t last. Cheap markers don’t last. Cheap whiteboard markers don’t last. We spend more money replacing the cheaper items than simply purchasing the better quality kind in the first place because they last longer.

Q: Can I bring in products that were opened and zero or lightly used — e.g. half a ream of paper or an almost new glue stick? 

Cazary: Check in with your child’s teacher if you would like to donate gently used items to the classroom.

Ohnersorgen: I will gladly take opened and/or lightly used items for the class. It will get used and if it’s something I can’t use, there is usually other teachers that would gladly take it for their class (primary classrooms have different needs that upper grade classrooms). If I get something that the kindergarten teachers would use, I’m happy to pass it along to them and vice versa.

Q: Is it helpful or a burden to drop off everything on the first day? 

Cazary: If you are helping support classroom wants, I would wait until after the first day of school to drop it off. The first day of school is busy and staff is focused on students feeling welcome and finding where they need to be. Bringing in a lot of items on that day adds to an already busy start. I suggest giving teachers a couple of days to set routines and then asking your child’s teacher what a good day to drop items off would be.

Ohnersorgen: All at once can be challenging since we have limited storage in classrooms, but I’ll gladly take whatever parents want to contribute. Tissues, pencils, erasers, expo markers go fast so having them easily on hand is very helpful. Some teachers send out a newsletter each week, or monthly, and can ask for donations throughout the year as needed.

Q: Could I do half now and half later in the year? If I do wait, what’s the best time to shop after August (sales)?

Ohnersorgen: I stock up on items in summer when stores have their sales, but purchase more as they become a need for the class. I will always ask for enough for the entire class. If we’re having a class activity or project related to a holiday or learning topic. For example, at Glow Day, where we learn about bioluminescence in science and we transform the room and I ask to borrow black lights or purchase glow sticks, or parents want to come help out for the day, I will create a Sign Up Genius or something similar for families to sign up for what they would like to contribute (whether that is materials or volunteer opportunities).

Q: If I don’t contribute to classroom supplies, will someone else make that up – another parent or the teacher out of pocket?

Cazary: There is no requirement for any family to contribute to classroom supplies. Usually teachers will create lists of needs that are collectively met through a variety of sources so please do not feel pressure to contribute.

Q: Do teachers really need all those supplies they request of parents?

Ohnersorgen: Yes, we need those supplies. Kids go through so much each year. Twenty-six pencils lasts about two weeks before they’re chewed, broken, or lost. A box of tissue in the month of November will last about three days if we’re lucky. A roll of tape is gone in a week. A ream of copy paper for kindergarten class is used in two days — they’re working on fine motor skills of writing, drawing and math computation all day long. In the third grade, I typically have about 26 kids on my roster. Fifth grade has up to 34. We use all of the supplies we ask for. I am not asking for things that sit on a shelf and don’t get used on a regular basis. Most teachers anticipate not all items on their wish list will be granted and if the item is something we really need for the class, I will buy it myself.

Cazary: Teachers work incredibly hard and do spend their own money to ensure their classroom feels just right for students. Requests for support are not necessarily needed, but they contribute greatly to the classroom.

Q: For personal things like backpacks, lunch bags, thermos, pencil bag, is it best to invest in pricier items that last, or refresh them every fall? 

Ohnersorgen: Families should get what works for them and what the child likes. Again, you get what you pay for sometimes. Cheap backpacks last a year. Kids are tough on things. Backpacks are thrown around, dragged, things shoved in them daily. Lunch bags are forgotten and/or left out. As a parent, I do not buy the expensive water bottles, backpacks or lunch bags because my kids lose them, drop them, spill things all over them, etc., and I end up having to replace them. I also have backup bags for when they “forget them at school” and I’m packing lunch for the next day. Also, preferences and styles change. Getting an expensive bag or water bottle this year in her favorite color may be completely different next year and she won’t use it. This year, my 10-year-old went from an obsession of tigers to turtles, then to soccer, back to turtles, then to sloths and then to soccer again all in the span of six months. I opted for a darker colored backpack to hide dirt that will last (Jansport is a good brand) and let her accessorize with her latest love in other ways.

As a teacher, I like to buy the same pencil boxes for the entire class so everyone has the same thing. That is something that works for me and so I use my money for that specific item. Every teacher will have their “things” they want a certain way that works for them in their space but for me, if a parent wants to purchase something for their child, do it. If it’s something like fancy markers or an expensive backpack, that is their choice. If the child is worried someone might take it from them or break it, best to keep it at home.

Cazary: Each family needs to decide what works best for them and their child. For your younger learners (specifically lower elementary school grades) please remember that items are easily misplaced, lost and can get damaged so families may want to account for items to be replaced throughout the school year.

Q: Any hacks for how to save on school supplies over the years — buy in bulk? Share with another family? 

Cazary: The bottom line is communication is key. As teachers may have wish lists it is completely appropriate to ask clarifying questions. Everything does not have to be ready on the first day of school. We have an entire school year of learning.

Q: Should I label things with my kid’s name?  

Cazary: Yes, yes, yes! Each year students get to form a new class family with their teacher and peers. This means lots of kids that are about the same age with lots of similar items. As a classroom and school is a shared space, there is a lot of commingling of jackets, water bottles, even backpacks. Putting your child’s name on an item creates a higher likelihood of them being reunited with it after it is lost. Many school campuses and classrooms have a process of collecting lost items for pickup, having your child’s name on it makes all the difference.

Ohnersorgen: Label all the things that are personal to the student. Lunch bags, snack bags, backpack, special pencil box, hat.  Every school has a huge lost and found and within a month of school starting, it is full of items that have lost their owners. Things that are for the class, no name needed.

The deals

Kohl’s is selling hundreds of back-to-school clothing staples from its in-house brands for under $10. School uniform items start at around $12, and fleece for juniors starts at around $30.

It is also selling “affordable trend-right denim, graphic tees, and athleisure styles” from teen brands including SO and Aéropostale, according to a news release.

It also has college gear, including décor, small appliances and storage, all for under $20. Some styles of bedding are 50% off.

Target’s school supplies start at 25 cents and it has discounts on items including craft and writing tools, backpacks, lunch backs, clothes and shoes. Storage and home goods are also on sale, which could be useful for college students or anyone getting organized for the school year, as well as people shopping for disinfectant wipes, paper towels and other shared classroom items.

Spending $50 on certain household essentials, which could be used in the classroom, can help shoppers get back a $15 Target gift card.

Walmart is keeping its back-to-school lists to under $65, including supplies, a backpack and a head-to-toe first-day outfit. It also has lower prices than last year on its most 14 popular school supplies, and more than 1,000 supplies priced at under $5, including its Wonder Nation brand backpacks.

It also introduced a new in-store tween fashion brand called Weekend Academy with most items priced under $15.

The chain’s Walmart+ membership is available for half price ($6.47/month or $49/year) for college and grad students. This used to be a limited-time promotion and is now available year-round.

Event alert

On Aug. 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., a community event by the California Barber & Beauty College and Skyline Church will provide free haircuts for children, free school supplies, free food and free tickets to local attractions. The event will be held at Skyline Church at 11330 Campo Road in La Mesa. This website has more details, a haircut signup form and a link to donate at larryhimmelfoundation.org/haircutdrive.