Elementary students in the El Dorado School District won't have to worry about school supplies this year, as the district is once again providing all necessary classroom materials for Kindergarten through fourth-graders.
"We are going to have school supplies this year, I can assure you of that," Jennifer Lee, special programs director for the ESD, told members of the El Dorado School Board on Monday.
Preparations for purchasing this year's school supplies started in April, when surveys were sent to school principals at the elementary campuses about what students would need for class. From there, teachers were consulted in May, and the first order for supplies was put in at Walmart in June, Lee said.
"By the first of June, I got an order and I delivered it to Walmart and said 'this is what we need,'" Lee said. "I purchased about $10,000 worth of supplies... which is a small portion of the school supplies we purchased."
This week, the ESD is accepting delivery of more supplies, and Lee said she expects that by the beginning of next week, all of the district's orders will have been delivered.
"I would say that probably 90% of the school supplies, 90 to 95%, will be here for Kindergarten through fourth-graders by the end of the week at the latest, and then there's a handful of items that will come in next week," Lee said. "So I am very pleased to report to you that we will have school supplies."
In all, school supplies for K-4 in the ESD are projected to cost $73,999.77.
"I want to express gratitude to the Board for allowing us to do this. I think it's a very nice thing we can do for the community; it eases the burden on families, especially families with multiple children that are having to buy a lot of school supplies," said ESD Superintendent Jim Tucker.
Lee said the district spent a little less than $50 per student on school supplies this school year.
"But if you add that up, for a family, that can be a really big deal. It's amazing what we're able to do with purchasing power," Lee said.
Lee said in an email after the school board meeting that students at Washington Middle School and Barton Junior High will also have supplies provided, but will need to bring a backpack, four boxes of Kleenex and four bottles of hand sanitizer.
High school students will also be provided with a Chromebook, a three-ring binder, a spiral notebook and pens. Additional supplies for specific classes will be handed out during orientation or the first week of school, Lee said.
"If families at WMS, BJH or EHS are unable to provide the requested items, arrangements will be made so that all students have what the need for a successful start to the school year," Lee added in the email.
The El Dorado School District first began providing school supplies to K-4 students in 2019.