Some parents balk at buying all school supplies

Dear Editor,

As the school year approaches, like many other parents, I like to start buying school supplies early. Having relocated from a big city to Chesterfield County, I cannot say that I am used to these long supply lists. For the past four years I bought every item on the list times three. I cannot deny that [I am] always questioning the reason for so many supplies. In a county like Chesterfield where every school is over populated, one wonders what are our tax dollars paying for? But that is another issue.

This year I have one sixth-grader, one fifthgrader and a fourth-grader. After going online to the schools' Web site and pulling the list of supplies, I almost had a heart attack. The fifth-grade list requires 48 #2 pencils. With my other daughter having just completed the same grade in a class of 26 students, I cannot help but wonder how would 26 students use 1,248 pencils in one year? The list goes on: four dry-erase markers, 200 index cards, four packages of loose-leaf paper, 10 spiral notebooks and so on. That amounts to 104 dry-erase markers, 104 packages of looseleaf paper, 5,200 index cards and 260 spiral notebooks per average classroom. Am I the only one that makes a fuss about how 104 dry-erase markers are used in one year?

Tax dollars continue to be misspent in all government levels. I work very hard to support my family. I cannot afford to send someone else's child to school as well. Is there a news reporter, or a government agency, or a concerned politician that questions this type of spending? What are my tax dollars paying for?

By the way, I neglected to mention that a friend's daughter was once asked to bring toilet paper to school. Is this in the budget this year? Someone please respond! Concerned parents would like to know.

Jesus M. Ortiz

Chesterfield