Parents and educators must deal with the historically high expense of school supplies

Bozeman, Montana – Back-to-school shopping has begun. As they prepare for the most expensive year yet, with record prices, parents claim they are feeling the sting in their wallets.

“Everything is either out of stock or priced outrageous,” said Amber Colburn.

Colburn is out shopping for her three children’s back-to-school needs.

“Just the basic stuff—notebooks, crayons, 12 glue sticks,” said Colburn.

It doesn’t seem like there is a lot of stuff, but what is the entire cost?

“Was three hundred and forty-three dollars,” said Colburn.

Quite a sum, but she claims she wasn’t shocked.

“Usually, it’s like a hundred dollars more than it was the year before,” said Colburn.

Back-to-school spending may reach a record $41 billion, up 11% from $36.9 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

Not only are parents’ wallets being drained by these record prices, but also instructors’.

The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that public school teachers spend close to $500 year on supplies without receiving any compensation.

“There’s just more and more items kids are expected to have,” said Ashley Davis.

At Gallatin Gateway School, Davis teaches. She expresses gratitude to the Gallatin Gateway Schools Foundation for its assistance in providing teachers with the resources they require.

Teachers like Davis are able to build an Amazon wishlist thanks to the foundation.

“We can put anything we need on there,” said Davis. “This year, I got a sewing machine for my art class and liquid chalk.”

Colburn expresses her happiness at the community’s teachers experiencing a little less stress during the dreaded back-to-school buying season.

“The teachers need all the help they can get,” said Colburn. “They put up with so much and should never have to cover the cost of our children’s supplies.”