Parents of elementary school students in USD 257 can get a bit of a break when it comes to buying school supplies for next fall.
The Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) is offering bundles of school supplies for $15, which is less than half of what it would cost to buy the supplies from a store. Supplies will be available for students in preschool through fifth grade.
The deadline to sign up for the bundles is June 24.
The goal is to make it easier for families to purchase school supplies, PTO president Melissa Genoble said.
“We know a lot of our families are low income or live below the poverty line, and we just want to make it easier for them,” Grenoble said.
The PTO will purchase pre-packaged bundles of supplies. Each bundle contains the supplies designated for that grade level. Supply lists can be found on the district’s website, usd257.org.
The average cost of each bundle is $25. PTO is donating $10 for each bundle; families will be responsible for the remaining $15.
Genoble recently compiled a comparison of what it would cost to purchase the same school supplies from a local store.
She found costs ranged from $35.49 (preschool) to $48.68 (first grade) with an average cost of $42.23.
The bundles will not include things like backpacks, water bottles, Clorox wipes, recorders or gym shoes.
The PTO has set aside $6,000 to pay for its part of the supplies. No money is coming from district taxpayers.
BUNDLES can be ordered through the district’s website. Informational flyers also were sent to students at the end of the school year and will be sent home with SAFE BASE students. Additional flyers will be available at the Iola Public Library.
Individuals or organizations also can “sponsor” students by paying for additional bundles. Those bundles will be given to classroom teachers, who will give them to students who do not have supplies or when supplies run out.
The completed flyers and associated fees can be dropped off or mailed to Melissa Genoble, 402 N 1st St, Iola, Ks 66749 or to the board office, Attn: Iola PTO, 305 N Washington St, Iola, Ks 66749
THE PTO hopes to expand its reach for school supplies in the future.
