I just thought of something.

[conuly]

EVERY year the schools send out lists of school supplies, from the basic (notebooks, pencils, crayons) to classroom supplies (paper towels, hand sanitizer, paper for printouts).

Wouldn't it make more sense for them to price it all out and send out a request for just the cash? Then they could buy everything in bulk and save money, plus parents wouldn't have to run around getting everything together. They could divide it into two parts and say "You HAVE to purchase your notebooks/folders/pencils for this much money, and we'd also like up to THAT much money for other miscellaneous supplies" and be done with it.

I'd imagine most people would be thrilled to have all this back to school stuff dealt with with a single check or small amount of cash.

Comments

[pne.livejournal.com]

I was assuming they'd get decent quality stuff

Don't schools fall under the government thing where they are *obliged* to go with the lowest bidder?

I mean, I suppose in theory they could word the bill such that only decent quality stuff will qualify, but how do you quantify that with something like pens and markers? "Must be able to draw a line at least 523 miles long on standard paper before the ink runs out"? "Must not smear or smudge more than once in 18 hours of continuous use"?

I think they're just going to run with the cheapest thing money can buy, quality or not.

[conuly]

Don't schools fall under the government thing where they are *obliged* to go with the lowest bidder?

You know, I don't know! I don't think so, though - schools around here all use Crayola crayons they buy themselves.