Parents and teachers expect to spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, to keep classrooms and students well-stocked for the new school year. Heavy spending among parents for back-to-school supplies has already started over fears COVID-19 will disrupt the supply chain for some key items, according to Deloitte, a multinational professional services network.
Big box retailers such as Walmart and Target remain the most popular, respectively, among parents looking for back-to-school bargains, according to Chain Store Age, which tracks big store sales and trends.
Nationally, back-to-school spending is expected to reach $32.5 billion in 2021, a 16% rise from 2020, according to Deloitte. In all, parents will spend on average $612 per child this school year, compared to $529 from last year, states Deloitte.
“Confidence and clarity are creating a sense of normalcy to the upcoming school year,” according to a Deloitte back-to-school report. “Sales are projected to surpass recent records, and parents are shopping earlier — partly to avoid stock-outs — as they mix more tech with teachers’ traditional supply lists and do more of their shopping online.”
Local stores and the long-standing “Crayons to Calculators” programs are also playing big roles in helping get kids ready for the Aug. 17 return to in-person learning in the St. Vrain Valley School District.
Clothing is available at downtown Longmont stores for both students and teachers, said Kimberlee McKee, executive director of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority. “Local shops have unique notebooks, pens and accessories,” McKee said via email. “We have two used bookstores that are options.”
This Saturday, Aug. 14, participating downtown businesses will be offering sales and specials throughout the day, McKee said. During “Shopping Saturday” visitors will enjoy merchandise and specials both on the sidewalks outside of shops and inside stores, she said.
The St. Vrain Valley Education Foundation’s Crayons to Calculators program, meanwhile, raises money to supply over 11,000 students, from SVVSD and Boulder Valley school districts, with essential supplies to be successful in school.
Earlier this summer, the Crayons to Calculators program launched its Community Challenge to raise $25,000 for school supplies.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program once again accepts monetary donations either online or via check mailed to the organization, according to a June 29 Longmont Leader story. Checks can be mailed to Impact on Education % Crayon for Calculators, 721 Front St. Ste, A, Louisville, CO 80027.
Supplies and backpacks from the program are distributed to schools, and families that are in need of the items can contact their school directly for information on when they will be distributed, said Michelle Phelan, community liaison for the St. Vrain Foundation, said in an email.
In many cases, teachers provide school supplies for their students out of their own pockets.
A 2018 survey by the Colorado Education Association found that CEA members spent $656 a year of their own money for students for a total of about $23 million annually.
The money was spent on books, pencils, tape, glue, binders/folders, food, toothpaste and personal care items, teaching materials, lunch money and field trips, the CEA survey states.
Susie Hidalgo-Fahring, a 17-year teaching veteran in the St. Vrain District, said she typically spends between $500-to-$1000 on students during the school year. “Last year, I supported families with food, housing, utilities and other essentials during the pandemic, so I ended up spending over $1,000,” said Hidalgo-Fahring, also a Longmont City Council member, via email.
“I am hearing from some that they spend between $300-$500, while others say $500-$1,000,” she said.
