Massachusetts public school administrators and teachers are asking parents to reach into their wallets and purchase classroom essentials as a result of financial troubles and recent tax propositions that have limited state funds for programs and supplies.
Despite decreased prices on school supplies, school spending on in-room textbooks, pencils, glue sticks, crayons and other supplies has decreased by 4.3 percent to $334.7 million in recent years, according to a Sept. 6, Boston Globe article.
Though some officials say budget cuts are occurring throughout the state, others argue that monetary problems are relative and vary from district to district.
“Large urban districts like Springfield and Boston are affected largely because they are funded by the state 90 percent,” Massachusetts Teachers’ Association spokesman Bob Duffy said. “Right now, they can’t keep up with the limited property tax and are cutting budgets to stay afloat.”
Duffy said he attributes financial difficulties in urban school districts to Proposition 2 1/2, a 1982 statute that caps the amount a city or town can raise from local property taxes to fund municipal operations.
“As a result of Prop. 2 1/2, state reimbursements have gone down significantly,” Duffy said. “The problem can’t be generalized because communities differ in affluence and school curriculum. Some districts are faring better than others, although the state has seen a sharp decline trending back to 2001.”
Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Executive Director Tom Scott said public schools’ inability to provide students with adequate materials without parental assistance is a statewide problem.
“Small suburban districts are feeling pain the same way urban districts are,” he said. “There is a gap of $1.3 billion between what is wanted and what is given in regard to programs and materials.”
Scott said almost every school district has begun to ask parents to assist with funding in light of heightened difficulties.
The state funding programs that have been in place since 1993 are due for re-examination and improvement, he said.
Worcester deputy superintendent Stephen Mills said budget cuts are exaggerated and parents are free from obligation to stocking the classroom.
“We are an urban district and we don’t rely on user fees whatsoever,” he said. “Our supplies are perfectly adequate and there is never pressure on parents to contribute out of their own pockets.”
Mills said all assistance is optional, but members of the Parent-Teacher Organization often inquire as to how they can contribute monetarily to ensure that students are well equipped.
“There is no system in place to nag or harass parents, and in no way are they obligated to purchase supplies,” he said. “Budget cuts are not severe enough that schools cannot adequately fund for necessities.”