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> Starting in grade 5, we have a mandatory BYOD and the Chromebook is our recommended device. Is this a public school or private? In a public school I cannot i

> Starting in grade 5, we have a mandatory BYOD and the Chromebook is our recommended device. Is this a public school or private? In a public school I cannot imagine that that is legal since it is highly regressive. And before you say a Chromebook is "only" $150-200, that is 1/2 of someone's pay cheque and many are living pay cheque to pay cheque as is. Even school uniforms are seen as a hardship for the poor. Doing freaking computers is just mind boggling to me.

cableshaft 11y ago
Buying a TI graphing calculator was mandatory for my math class in 7th grade ~20 years ago, and those were around $120, or $200 if adjusted for inflation. That was at a public school, and that was only useful for a single subject, not every class in school.
- fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
  Such a racket TI has going there.
- IkmoIkmo 11y ago
  and I remember it was a really big deal to buy one for my parents financially :-/
jhardcastle 11y ago
We are a private school, but 25% of our population is here on scholarship. Those families who cannot afford one are provided a computer by the school (and often books, supplies, uniforms, and even money to go on the "optional" trips like the class ski trip, etc.) As cableshaft said, many of our peer public schools do require students to purchase expensive supplies like calculators. We are actually moving away from requiring students to purchase a graphing calculator; instead we ask them to buy the computer (good for all subjects) and we have been providing graphing calculators in math classes for a while now.
VLM 11y ago
This is the season for forms and fees day for us (few?) parents. Two kids in a top level public school system (aka a rich area, plenty of prop tax revenue) and I still had to pay $224 for two grade school kids for one year of books and technology fees and PTO "contributions" and stuff. If you make over $100K its a rounding error, and if you make under $25K (or whatever) then absolutely everything is free covered by the state, including free lunches, the real people to pity are the remaining few middle class folks. The government will get rid of them soon enough... then what? If you read the school paperwork VERY carefully you'll find the monetary payments are technically voluntary. They're not allowed legally to not educate your kids if you don't pay until they're over 18 at the start of the school year. This probably varies greatly by state and district. One interesting side effect I've seen is massive price increases for school supply list products... Come on Target, $3.88 retail for small pack of postit notes during "school supply season"? Talk about profiteering. Damn. A twelve pack of the same product is $3.48 at Amazon with free prime delivery. Feel sad for poor folks who can't buy at Amazon, so stuff that costs me 34 cents costs them almost ten times as much retail. I saw a lot of stuff like that, $2.99 for a dozen pencils, etc. I walked thru Target with my phone out the whole time putting in the order for supplies and buying what little was cheaper, retail.
- fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
  >One interesting side effect I've seen is massive price increases for school supply list products... Come on Target, $3.88 I was also shocked. Amazon sellers were raking it in as well.

cableshaft 11y ago

Buying a TI graphing calculator was mandatory for my math class in 7th grade ~20 years ago, and those were around $120, or $200 if adjusted for inflation. That was at a public school, and that was only useful for a single subject, not every class in school.

fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
Such a racket TI has going there.
IkmoIkmo 11y ago
and I remember it was a really big deal to buy one for my parents financially :-/

jhardcastle 11y ago

We are a private school, but 25% of our population is here on scholarship. Those families who cannot afford one are provided a computer by the school (and often books, supplies, uniforms, and even money to go on the "optional" trips like the class ski trip, etc.) As cableshaft said, many of our peer public schools do require students to purchase expensive supplies like calculators. We are actually moving away from requiring students to purchase a graphing calculator; instead we ask them to buy the computer (good for all subjects) and we have been providing graphing calculators in math classes for a while now.

VLM 11y ago

This is the season for forms and fees day for us (few?) parents. Two kids in a top level public school system (aka a rich area, plenty of prop tax revenue) and I still had to pay $224 for two grade school kids for one year of books and technology fees and PTO "contributions" and stuff. If you make over $100K its a rounding error, and if you make under $25K (or whatever) then absolutely everything is free covered by the state, including free lunches, the real people to pity are the remaining few middle class folks. The government will get rid of them soon enough... then what? If you read the school paperwork VERY carefully you'll find the monetary payments are technically voluntary. They're not allowed legally to not educate your kids if you don't pay until they're over 18 at the start of the school year. This probably varies greatly by state and district. One interesting side effect I've seen is massive price increases for school supply list products... Come on Target, $3.88 retail for small pack of postit notes during "school supply season"? Talk about profiteering. Damn. A twelve pack of the same product is $3.48 at Amazon with free prime delivery. Feel sad for poor folks who can't buy at Amazon, so stuff that costs me 34 cents costs them almost ten times as much retail. I saw a lot of stuff like that, $2.99 for a dozen pencils, etc. I walked thru Target with my phone out the whole time putting in the order for supplies and buying what little was cheaper, retail.

fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
>One interesting side effect I've seen is massive price increases for school supply list products... Come on Target, $3.88 I was also shocked. Amazon sellers were raking it in as well.