School Supplies for 2019-2020

Bulk Supply Purchasing

The Alameda PTA is excited to continue bulk school supply purchasing at Alameda for the 2019-2020 school year! Bulk school supply purchasing differs from traditional school supply ordering in that instead of families ordering individual school supply kits or receiving lists of supplies to provide on the first day of school, every family will make a financial contribution and all monies collected will go into a fund to purchase communal supplies for every classroom.

Last year, we fully transitioned to this model and had tiered pricing. This year, the Alameda PTA has worked with teachers to continue to reduce the number of items needed/find cost savings through bulk purchasing, allowing us to have one low amount for all grade levels. We request each family contribute the $45/student fee by July 15*, and the PTA will purchase all students’ supplies for each classroom.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

1. Pay by Check. Complete the order form sent home in backpacks and include this with your check which you may return to your student's teacher of the school office.
   
   
2. Pay Online. Complete your payment online via MySchoolAnywhere.

*Fees will increase $5/student after July 31.

Financial Assistance

If there are circumstances that create a hardship in paying the fee, the Alameda PTA will help cover costs for supplies for any families that could use financial assistance. Please choose the "Reduced Fee" school supplies product in the online store and enter the amount you feel comfortable paying; the PTA will cover the rest of the costs, even up to 100% where requested.

Questions?
Answers to frequently asked questions are available below. If you can’t find an answer you’re looking for or need more information, please email the Alameda PTA school supply coordinator (and Treasurer) Katherine Hart.

Concerns or Complaints?
For complaints or concerns about the program, please contact your Alameda PTA President Kimmy Scarpine.

 Frequently Asked Questions

Why the new approach?

In past years, the school sent supply lists home to families at the end of the school year.  Families had to provide supplies by the first day of school.  An external company offered Alameda families the option to purchase supplies through them.  Their program fulfilled just over half of items on the list, but families had to procure the rest.  Informal feedback from families and teachers indicated several issues with the program: expensive, late delivery, inconsistent quality/quantity, and extensive packaging waste.

PTA responded by creating an easy, lower cost school supplies program for all Alameda families, while helping teachers customize classroom supplies for students.  The new program mirrors one used by David Douglas School District.

How does this program benefit our students?

Every student has all of the supplies needed for the year, and all students receive the same supplies. Students also learn many important social skills from sharing supplies.

How does this program help Alameda families?

Fulfilling the total supply list used to cost Alameda families as much as $70-$100 per student. Together we leverage our group size for collective buying power saving each family money.

In addition, our program saves families time by streamlining what you need to provide in preparation for going back to school. Families will still need to provide a few personal items for their student(s) like a backpack, water bottle, lunchbox and possibly headphones.  PTA will handle the rest.

How does this program help Alameda teachers?

Supplies are shipped directly to the school over the summer so that teachers have time to organize their classroom before the first day of school. Additionally, teachers have more control over the supplies coming into the classroom in terms of quantity and quality. And the fundraising portion of the fees collected allows the Alameda PTA to further support our teachers’ classroom needs.

Why has the PTA included fundraising in the fee?

The Alameda PTA has opted to round-up and incorporate a modest fundraising amount to the fees. This fundraising allows us to provide financial support to families in need and to provide each teacher with a small fund to purchase any additional, specialized classroom supplies they might need.  

Each year, teachers across our country dip into their own pockets to buy materials and supplies for our children's classrooms. Tax code gives educators a $250 deduction for this, but many teachers spend well beyond that. On average, teachers spend $480 a year.

The Alameda PTA does not believe it is the responsibility of our communities’ educators to subsidize one of the costs resulting from the underfunding of public schools in America.

How will this program help reduce waste?

The Alameda PTA has designed the program so that starting next year, all school supplies purchased for classrooms will be communal to the classroom.  As such, teachers will no longer send any supplies home at the end of the school year.  Instead, durable items like scissors, rulers, and calculators will remain in the classrooms for use year-after-year and the PTA will work with teachers to replace damaged or worn-out goods as needed.

Moreover, PTA will be purchasing supplies in bulk so you will no longer have individually packaged sets of supplies shipped to you for each student. These efforts will reduce packing waste and reduce overall consumption of supplies over time, so classrooms use only what they need.