Back-To-School Shopping Is Not Taxing This Weekend

BY TIMOTHY CAMA
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

Despite the tight economy, parents can still save on their children’s school supplies, thanks to help from schools, state governments, retailers and folks who just want to help out.

“You can probably get these supplies for under $10,” Leisa Mullins, a seventh-grade math teacher at Bluff City Middle School, said, referring to the school’s suggested supply list that is typical of most elementary and middle school in the area.

This weekend’s sales tax holiday in Virginia and Tennessee is designed to help parents, students and teachers buy school supplies for the upcoming year. The sales tax relief continues until Sunday night.

In Virginia, shoppers will avoid the 5 percent sales tax on school supplies $20 or less, and clothing and shoes $100 or less.

In Tennessee, the state is suspending its 7 percent sales tax and local government will not charge its 2.25 percent local tax on school supplies, clothing and shoes $100 or less, and on computers $1,500 or less.

Additionally, stores such as Target and Wal-Mart have discounted school supplies for the weekend.

Abingdon Elementary School administrators have helped parents this year by trimming down the school’s supply lists, said Chris Counts, an office secretary.

“Most of our supply lists are small this year,” he said. It consist of basics like pencils, crayons, scissors and plastic bags, and unnecessary items were removed this year because of the weak economy.

Felicia Sikes estimates that it will cost her $20 to $30 to buy her daughter Madeline’s school supplies for the year. Madeline is entering kindergarten at Watauga Elementary School in Abingdon.

Sikes chose to get her shopping out of the way on Thursday, she said while browsing crayons and scissors at Target in Bristol, Va. She chose not to wait for the tax holiday.

“I’m only going to save a couple bucks anyway,” said Sikes, who also a sixth-grade teacher at E.B. Stanley Middle School in Abingdon. She decided to avoid the crowd and instead enjoy the sunny weekend weather.

But for some like Jeanette Sykes of Council, Va., the back-to-school shopping trip can total more than $100. Sykes’ granddaughter, Molly Damron, likes to buy enough supplies to give some to classmates who can’t afford to buy their own.

Molly, 9, is entering fourth grade at Trevilians Elementary School in Louisa, Va.

Target entered the tax-free holiday prepared for the crowds, said Shauna Oliver, senior team leader at the Bristol, Va., store.

“We’re fully stocked,” she said, adding that the store has a back-to-school section filled with notebooks, pencils and more school-related items. Signs throughout the store direct customers to the area.

Target, in addition to Wal-Marts in both Bristols, and Office Depot in Bristol, Va., have copies of school supply lists from many public and private schools throughout the area. Students and parents can also get the lists from the schools’ Web sites, or at the school offices.

A fifth-grader list for Holston View Elementary School in Bristol, Tenn., was obtained by the Bristol Herald Courier for an informal survey. A check of the items at local stores reveal the list can be fulfilled for less than $25.

Most lists in elementary and middle school are similar – pencils, markers, crayons, folders, paper and the like. As students get older, teachers start asking that they use organizational items, like folders, binders and tabbed filing sheets.

A recent trend has been health-related items, such as hand sanitizer, anti-bacterial wipes and tissues. Students usually wash their hands before lunch, said Mullins, the math teacher, and kids are sometimes asked to clean desk surfaces with cleaning wipes.

Calculators are also a recent addition to lists, even in elementary and middle schools. Teachers usually ask for basic calculators, however, and they rarely cost more than a few dollars.

The discounts and tax exemptions are also a relief to teachers, said Mullins, who spends more than $50 of her own money each month for classroom supplies and other basic school items.

She said the school gives her $100 each year for supplies, but it’s never enough.

For students and parents who cannot afford to buy supplies, help can be found in a variety of places.

In Bluff City, for example, a local church gathers donated supplies each year, which the middle school gives to students in need.

“They send paper, pencils, markers, folders and anything else,” said Mullins.

When kids clean out their lockers at the end of the year, some give extra items to teachers, who give them to students in the fall.

Bristol Tennessee City Schools is also trying to help.

Organizers will park a bus outside Wal-Mart and ask shoppers to fill it with school supplies, which will be distributed to children in need.

TIMOTHY CAMA is an intern with the Herald Courier and can be reached at or (276) 669-2181.