Money and School SuppliesToday was the first day of school for kids in Dallas. I only know this because I’ve become partially financially responsible for a 9-year-old and 13-year-old girl in the last few months’¦ it’s a long story I won’t get into. In any case, we enrolled them in the public schools near our home, and today was their first day.

I had misgivings about putting them in public school, of course. As any reader of this blog knows, I am politically libertarian, which means I don’t think the public school system should exist at all. Even so, I don’t have any problem taking advantage of it – my tax money helps pay for it, after all. My problem with public schools is that they are full of kids that don’t want to be there with parents who have no real investment (financial or otherwise) in the education of their children. This doesn’t apply to all children and parents, of course, but as long as a sizable fraction of the school population is made up of these people, I think it brings down the quality of education. That’s my opinion based on my own experience in the public school system, anyway. I want something better for my kids.

Unfortunately, private schools are prohibitively expensive for most people. If I had been planning for children, I would have started saving for their elementary education early so I could avoid the public school system as much as possible. These two girls came into my life a few months ago, which didn’t allow much time to rearrange my finances in such a way as to fund a private school education. So here we were with two girls who needed to start school and most of our income already spent. Thus, public school was the choice. I knew I would probably have issues with that choice sooner or later, but I was hoping it would be later.

I didn’t get past day one.

The 9-year-old came home from school and explained that the supplies we bought her had been taken from her and distributed to other students. For instance, we bought her four folders as instructed on the school supply list – she came home with one. We bought her several glue sticks – she came home with one, smaller glue stick. All the students were told to stack these items up, and then the teacher went around and redistributed the items. Apparently, their first class was Socialism 101.

Here is the letter we sent to the teacher:

Ms [Teacher],

I would like your take on today’s events regarding school supplies. I have a real issue when my daughter comes home and tells me that she needs more folders and other items – school supplies that I spent hours trying to locate to complete her entire list. I bought her good quality supplies because I understand how rough kids are on their supplies.

I sent [my daughter] to school today with all of the supplies we were told she would need for the school year. She came home with only one of the several folders and only one small glue stick of the several large glue sticks, and I’m not sure what else might be missing. I’m told these were taken from her and then handed out to other students.

I want these items returned. I bought these for [my daughter] – not for other students. If you intend to confiscate any other property from my daughter, I would like notice in advance so we do not send her to school with any such property. If you wish to ask me to donate supplies for other students, please do so in an upfront and honest manner rather than taking property I specifically bought for my daughter.

If these items are not returned, I suppose I have little recourse. However, I certainly will no longer be buying the requested school supplies for the first day of school in any future years.

Thank you for your time.

The original version was a little shorter and more direct, but my other half thought it best to soften the tone slightly. Still, I think it makes the point nicely. I do not want my children taught to sit meekly by while their things are taken from them, or that taking another person’s hard-earned property is ok, or that they are entitled to the fruits of someone else’s labor when they show up unprepared. If one wants something that belongs to someone else, one should have to ask.

If a private school pulled this stunt, I would remove my child from that school and the school would lose out on my money. I could send my child to a school that doesn’t do this, and the problem would be solved. I only wish I could pull my tax dollars from this public school.

If I was a conspiracy theorist, I would think that this was a purposeful attack on the concept of property rights – an effort to turn the children into good little subjects that don’t question their leaders when their earnings are taken and spent on foreign wars, corporate welfare, or ethanol subsidies. I don’t give the school that much credit, though. I think this is likely an unconscious side-effect of the mentality required to work for the public school system. The whole system is based on the idea that everyone pays for the schools, even if you disagree with what they teach, how they teach, or don’t even have kids or use the system. You can’t opt out and fund a school you agree with or choose to send your kids to some other public school. You’re trapped based on where you live, unless you’re fortunate enough to have the financial means to pay for a private school (on top of the taxes you already pay to support the public schools).

Of course an institution based on those ideals wouldn’t have kids ask other kids if they could have or borrow what they needed. If they had to ask, maybe they would get what they needed, and maybe they wouldn’t, but they would learn that voluntary association and trade is the proper way to conduct themselves – the very foundation of a free society and what makes our economy work. Instead they learned the basis of a welfare mentality – don’t worry about providing for yourself, because you won’t even have to suffer the indignity of asking for something. It will be taken from others and given to you.

Apparently plenty of students came to class without the listed supplies – probably the children of other parents who had more experience with the public school system. We won’t make the same mistake again.

In the future, we intend to make sure the girls have enough of an allowance to cover their school supplies with their own money. Then, if they want to, they can give away the supplies they bought. Or, they can say no, and we will back them up if the teacher has a problem with it. Or maybe they will choose to simply not bring the supplies. The point is that it should be their decision – not an automatic thing or some subtle trick played by the school district.

Needless to say, we will be working hard to come up with the money for a private school.

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Bill keeps a personal blog, touching on a range of disparate topics, from relationships to video games to economics and politics.

Photo credit: stock.xchng.