Rising back-to-school costs a burden for some parents

Inflation is impacting a wide range of day-to-day expenses and especially affecting families with children heading back to school.

There are a multitude of factors driving inflation, including supply chain issues, and the return of in-person learning is affecting items such as apparel and school supplies.

The National Retail Federation – the world’s largest retail trade association – predicted that compared with 2019, back-to-school spending has increased dramatically.

As people scramble to find discounts, coupons and sales, others are reevaluating what’s truly needed and what isn’t.

Clara Bruno, a parent with children in Berwyn North School District 98, said she’s scaling back her back-to-school spending compared with previous years.

“I’m not going to buy things blindly and not think about it,” Bruno said. “I kind of strategically say, ‘I’m going to buy this, I’m not going to buy that or I’m going to buy a reduced amount.”

She said she’s heard some parents mention they’re spending nearly $50 to 60 extra a child.

One expense, in particular, that she’s seen increase is the price of school uniforms for her children.

When it comes to items such as folders and notebooks, she said she’s going to buy sturdier products to help ensure those materials will last the entire year instead of having to replace them.

“I might just have to plan to work a little extra to be able to cover the extra costs and fees,” Bruno said. “I’m a nurse, so I might have to take on an extra shift.”

Brian Swade, also a parent with children in Berwyn North School District 98, said there’s still places where parents can find deals on items.

Some places are offering tax-free days, he said, where people pay either no sales tax or a reduced amount of sales tax on items such as clothing or school supplies.

He’s still expecting that this school year there will be an increased burden on parents.

“I know it’s going to be difficult because while they say inflation was 9.1% in the last month, most people certainly aren’t getting a 9.1% raise at work,” Swade said. “While there are some wage increases, it’s not meeting inflation.”

He added that in recent years COVID-19 funding helped parents cover the costs of some supplies, but with that assistance now over, people are left with few options besides fending for themselves.

Lisa Ordway, a parent with children in Community High School District 99, said she’s definitely seen expenses rise this year compared with previous years.

She said she was unsure if she missed the school supplies deals at Target but believed that she spent more.

“It’s the price of groceries, the price of school supplies. I’ve never seen them so high,” Ordway said. “You really feel it when you’re shopping for back-to-school clothes, supplies and when you’ve been shopping for groceries everyday for a few months.”

Kevin Skinkis, superintendent of Riverside-Brookfield High School, isn’t expecting any big changes or disruptions caused by inflation in regard to plans in place for the upcoming school year.

Despite lingering high gas prices, there will be no cutbacks on planned field trips and none of the standard fees will be raised, he said.

As usual, a free and reduced lunch program will be offered at Riverside-Brookfield with the requirement of submitting an application for the service. The application can be accessed on the school’s website. Skinkis said registration numbers seem consistent with previous years.