In a few weeks, Arlington Heights resident Wendy Jandt’s kids will take their seats in the classrooms of Olive-Mary Sitt Elementary School after nearly three months on summer break.

In that month, Jandt will need to purchase pencils, paper, rulers and all of those other items retailers advertise during that period known as “back to school season.”

“I never really go out of control with back to school shopping,” Jandt said. “But my oldest—I’ll definitely need to get him a few things.”

Like parents across the country, Jandt is feeling the impact of a weak economy at a time when school supplies are a necessity but money is tight. The National Retail Federation is projecting the average family will spend 7.7 percent less this year on back to school items, from erasers to calculators to gym shoes, and local agencies that provide social services are gearing up to assist those who are struggling to prepare their children for a new academic year.

The National Retail Federation’s annual back to school survey, conducted by BIGresearch, shows that the average family’s spending increased every year from 2002 to 2008, making the projected decrease in 2009 the first drop-off in back to school spending in years.

“I think consumers are discriminating a little more what is need versus what is want,” said National Retail Federation spokesman Scott Krugman. Families, he said, are indicating they will spend less on apparel and supplies (but more on electronics like cell phones and laptops).

“People are making do with last year’s materials,” Krugman said.

While it is still early in the back to school season, school officials and parents from the northwest suburbs to the North Shore say they are anticipating more families to struggle this year with the cost of sending their children to school.

Before summer vacation, administrators at Northwood Junior High School in Highland Park, anticipated the reuse of school supplies in the fall. Co-principal Jennifer Ferrari said that when students were cleaning out their lockers, they were asked to save unused or reusable materials, such as partial packs of index cards.

“We’ve tucked some things away until we need them,” Ferrari said.

Administrators established a storage space for those items that teachers and social workers can access if a student is in need of materials. But, Ferrari said, it remains to be seen whether students make use of the items.

Linda Klobucher, principal of South Middle School in Arlington Heights School District 25, said data shows that many parents have removed work phone numbers from their contact information and are waiting longer to pay their children’s enrollment fees.

Sally Pryor, superintendent of Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 reported similar information, saying the district “sees a larger number of people paying their fees with a credit card who used to pay with a check.”

Officials say these figures are indicators that parents might not take their kids on as many back to school shopping sprees this year. Parents across the north suburbs have said one area in which they’ve reduced spending is back to school clothing.

Renee Tolani, executive vice president of the Skokie-Morton Grove School District 69 parent-teacher association, said she has heard parents saying they will be shopping at resale shops, particularly ones that carry brand name clothing like Plato’s Closet in Skokie.

“In the last couple days, I’ve heard that three of four times,” Tolnai said.

Kim Radtke, a single mother of four in Buffalo Grove, said her children, who are entering 5th, 9th, 10th and 11th grade, will likely be getting some hand-me-downs this year.

She also said she has been scouring through last year’s school supplies and project materials to find items that can be reused.

“I really don’t want to spend the money on new supplies like I do every year,” she said. “You can reuse protractors. You might have enough pencils, scissors, tape, glue. I still have stuff from last year from when they had projects, like poster board.”

In some communities, social service providers are stepping up to ensure students have the materials they need to start the school year.

For instance, each year New Trier Township—which covers Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka and Glencoe, as well as parts of Glenview and Northfield—distributes Target gift cards to students who qualify for free or reduced price lunches.

“We give out gift certificates to Target, and in that way kids can buy the supplies they need,” said Township Supervisor Patricia Cantor. “It lets them feel like this is not a handout.”

Last year, the township distributed 145 gift cards, an increase over the 109 the previous year, Cantor said. Based on the increase in the use of other services, Cantor said the number of gift cards could increase again.

At a time when students want to make a statement by returning to school with the latest fashions and hottest gadgets, parents say it can be difficult for children to hear that they might not be able to afford those things.

“You want your kids to have new things, but what are you going to do?” Radtke said. “It’s a sign of the times.”

By Jeff Danna
Triblocal Staff Reporter