By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
School supply shopping aisles were packed over the weekend with parents trying to pinch some pennies during the state’s sales tax holiday for school purchases.
Bluey backpack: $24.97
Cha-ching
Hello Kitty lunchbox: $16.99
Cha-ching
Headphones: $10.29 to $24.99
Cha-ching
And we haven’t even gotten to the sneakers yet …
But the sales tax-free weekend in Ohio may be disappointing to families counting on big savings. First, the items accepted for the sales tax exemptions this year are very limited compared to last year. And second, any savings are likely to be swallowed up by higher groceries and gas prices, according to families agonizing over school supply lists.
With Wood County’s sales tax at 6.75%, families spending $100 on school supplies will save $6.75 in taxes.
Local stores that carry school supplies have lists online or at the stores of the items needed for each grade at each school district. A typical school supply list for fourth graders totals $72.10 per student – and that’s before the tax.
Eilene Fromm takes her grandchildren school shopping every August. On Sunday, she and her three grandchildren – a seventh, eighth, and 11th grader – were scanning the aisles for the items on their school lists.
“We’ve been shopping all weekend,” said Fromm, of Bowling Green. Saturday was spent searching for bargain school clothes at T.J. Maxx and the Fringe. And Sunday, the focus was classroom supplies.
“These kids are really good about using last year’s backpacks” and other leftovers from the previous year, Fromm said.
And items are handed down from older siblings when possible – like with the expensive calculators needed.
Her grandchildren scrutinized the shelves for the best deals, as Fromm approved each item before it was put in the cart.
“We’re learning math skills,” she said with a smile.
Fromm said this year’s school shopping was overshadowed by other budget constraints.
“Especially since groceries and gas are so expensive,” she said.
It doesn’t take higher math skills to figure out that school supplies really do cost more this year. Here’s how much, from lunchboxes to pencils, according to the Public Broadcasting System.
Pencils are more expensive. So are notebooks, scissors, glue sticks — just about every back-to-school item that families will load into their carts this summer has gone up in price at a time when American families already feel crushed by rising costs. According to an analysis of the 21 most common school supply items, prices are up about 7.7% since last year, with parents paying an average of $173.45 for their school supply haul. Add to that an 11% hike in prices for packed school lunches.
Here are the school supplies with the biggest spikes in price:
- Lunch boxes are up 27%
- Notebooks, notebook paper, tissues and index cards are all up about 20%
- Scissors costs rose 14%
- Dry erase markers and glue sticks are up 8%
- Headphones, binders, crayons, colored pencils and No. 2 pencils increased between 5% and 7%
On the lunch side:
- A loaf of sandwich bread is up 22%
- Apple juice prices have risen 20%
- A pound of oranges has risen 17%, blueberries are up 48%
- A box of animal crackers are up 16%, a package of chocolate chip cookies is up 14%
Driving up some of these costs are tariffs and the war on Iran.
It’s further complicated by the loss of government benefits over the past year. More than 4 million Americans, including 1.5 million children, have lost their benefits through SNAP, the food assistance program that helps low-income people buy groceries. That makes family budgets even tighter going into the new school year.
To help families, Bowling Green City Schools is keeping its lunch prices the same, with elementary lunches remaining at $3.10, middle school lunches at $3.35, and high school lunches at $3.60.
To get by, parents are searching their local back-to-school fairs for supplies, or looking for backpack giveaways and school supply distributions.
Amanda Whiteman was shopping at Walmart in Bowling Green with her daughter Nora, who is excited about starting kindergarten in the Elmwood School District – and was determined to find a pair of purple headphones for school.
Hitting the sales tax holiday was important to Amanda Whiteman.
“Everything is so expensive these days – you have to take advantage of it,” she said.
Many teachers already dip into their own pockets to buy items for their classrooms, so families are asked to chip in for necessities used by the entire class, such as tissues, paper towels, disinfecting wipes, and zip-lock baggies.
Taylor McClenathan, of Custar, planned ahead and bought those classroom items in bulk from Sam’s Club. Her twins, Lucas and Owen, will turn 4 soon and will be headed to preschool.
The boys eyed the array of backpacks on the racks – covered with camouflage prints, unicorns, Avengers, rainbows and dinosaurs. Both boys settled on the Bluey cartoon dog pattern.
Across the street at Staples, the school supply aisles were not crowded. That is due to the change in the tax-free holiday this year, according to Dan Smith, the store’s general manager.
“It hasn’t been as nice, for sure,” he said.
Last year, the state’s list of qualifying school supplies included items like printers and laptops. The maximum covered item was $500. This year, the exemption only covers items $20 or less.
“Last year was great,” Smith said.
Staples is still trying to offer deals, with teacher discounts and free items on certain days.
Also in the past, the tax-free period for school supplies lasted two weeks, according to Amy Craft Ahrens, of Ben’s in downtown Bowling Green.
“We used to have massive crowds,” she recalled. But now most families go to the big box stores, though Ben’s still carries more of the art supplies needed by students.
Craft Ahrens lamented the fact that the sales tax savings aren’t as great for families as in the past.
“It’s not like it used to be,” she said. “People really got a break last year, and they don’t anymore.”
This year, Ohio’s back-to-school sales tax holiday lasted three days, starting Friday through midnight on Sunday. The exemption applied to all items of clothing priced at $75 or less, school supplies priced at $20 or less, and school instructional materials priced at $20 or less.
“School supplies” include only the following items: binders; book bags; calculators; cellophane tape; blackboard chalk; compasses; composition books; crayons; erasers; folders, expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila; glue, paste, and paste sticks; highlighters; index cards; index card boxes; legal pads; lunch boxes; markers; notebooks; paper, loose-leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board, and construction paper; pencil boxes and other school supply boxes; pencil sharpeners; pencils; pens; protractors; rulers; scissors; and writing tablets.
“School instructional material” includes only the following items: reference books, reference maps and globes, textbooks, and workbooks.
Help available
Eligible families can receive $150 vouchers to purchase new school shoes and backpacks through Wood County’s K-12 Fitted for Success program, which is accepting applications now through Friday, Aug. 14.
The Wood County Department of Job and Family Services will award up to 550 children with a voucher that can be used to purchase multiple pairs of shoes, socks, and a backpack.
Assistance will continue on a first-come, first-served basis until slots are filled. Families must meet income guidelines – at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines – and submit documentation including proof of household income, birth certificates, or other proof of citizenship, and Social Security cards for all family members.
Voucher packets for approved children will be mailed beginning Aug. 7 and can be redeemed at Shoe Sensation in Bowling Green until Sept. 15.
Families can get application materials:
- Online at https://bycell.co/ddxqc
- By calling 419‑352‑7566 ext. 8492
- By visiting the Wood County Department of Job and Family Services at 1928 E. Gypsy Lane Road, Bowling Green
Completed applications can be sent to woodemergencyassistance@jfs.ohio.gov, dropped off at the office on Gypsy Lane Road, or mailed to P.O. Box 679, Bowling Green, OH 43402.
