[aephi alum]

I found a listing online for what elementary-school children in my district's public schools are required to have. It varies slightly by grade, but the basics are safety scissors, an eraser, a clipboard, markers, a pen, crayons, pencils, composition books, glue, a 3-ring binder, tissues, math flash cards, and a box to keep everything in. From the itemized list, it doesn't appear that any items would go into a community chest (they only call for 1 pair of scissors, 1 eraser, etc).

The PTO sells all the required supplies as a kit for around $25 (it varies slightly from grade to grade). Apparently they order in bulk then pass the savings along to parents. Parents get a break and kids have exactly what they need.

The mandatory donation idea rubs me the wrong way, though. The wish list is a good idea - yes, you'll get cheapskates who won't donate if it isn't required, but you'll also get some generous parents, and the teacher will probably get a wider variety of stuff needed for the classroom (white-board markers, card stock, things to decorate bulletin boards with, etc. rather than 30 boxes of pencils).

I still don't get the soap thing. When I was in elem. school, all bathrooms had liquid soap dispensers that were kept stocked (most of the time, anyway!) Have our school budgets gotten so slim that we're cutting soap??