Parents frustrated that state income taxes don’t cover school supplies
The stock market may be doing well, but that does not mean families are having the best year ever. Take, for instance, the families of Colorado, where many lower-income moms and dads are struggling to pay skyrocketing back-to-school expenses, according to a report in The Denver Post.
Budget cuts apparently have forced school systems to require parents to purchase supplies once provided by districts. Meanwhile, the cost of extracurricular activities has increased from 68 to 88 percent, depending on the grade level. Throw in rent, utilities, food and things such as health insurance — and you’re talking budget busters for families.
“The evidence tells us that two seemingly contradictory things are both true,” noted Inez Stepman, director of Education and Workforce Development at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Arlington, Virginia, in an interview with LifeZette. “First, there are real shortages in classrooms across the country, and second, we — the United States — spend a ton of money on education and have among the highest per-pupil funding amounts in the first world.”
