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I would like to know just what exactly the Guilford County School system supplies to teachers so that they can provide students with a free education. The school supply list seems to grow each year.

— Anonymous

Yours is a common question among parents and taxpayers but the answer is more complicated than you might think.

The short answer is Guilford County Schools doesn’t buy supplies, at least not in the sense of paper and pencils for the classroom. Rather, each school principal purchases such supplies based, in large part, on what their teachers request.

Scott Winslow, the principal at Northwood Elementary, said most schools will have enough supplies for students who can’t afford them. The supplies teachers request from parents are items kids run through quickly.

“Typically the school supplies that teachers request are perishable items like crayons and glue sticks,” he said.

Winslow said he is surprised by complaints about supplies for students. Schools continue to supply students with materials they need and are asking parents to contribute no more than they have in the past, he said.

“I don’t see a huge shift,” Winslow said.

The money principals use to purchase supplies is called Weighted Student Formula. This refers to the amount allocated to each school based on each student, with adjustments for schools with special circumstances, such as those with larger populations of low-income families.

The hitch with this money is that principals use it to buy all sorts of supplies, such as paper, copiers and computers. They also use it to pay for teachers, tutors and training. So each year principals must weigh all those crayons against more pressing needs, such as tutors for failing students or a new literacy program that could help a class.

That said, the supply lists given to parents can be expensive and vary by grade and even subject.

The second-grade list provided by Irving Park Elementary totals about $50 and includes baby wipes, a book bag, three boxes of facial tissue and sandwich bags.

In high school the price tag can jump even higher for some classes. Many literature classes now require students to purchase novels for outside reading, paperbacks for one class — bought new — totaled $24.

Materials for Greg Hamer’s biology class at Grimsley High include disposable gloves, drinking straws, paper cups and corn syrup. Hamer said school budgets are quickly spent on big, necessary items that leave little for supplies. But those supplies can help students connect to their education in important ways.

“A lot of students would be happy if left alone with the book, but a lot students learn more effectively if they’re engaged in the experiment,” he said. “The real world connections are very important to help children construct their understanding.”

Parents aren’t the only ones feeling a tug at their wallets come the start of school. Teachers spend hundreds throughout the year on supplies. Hamer estimates he spends about $500 a year and that doesn’t include the supplies he asks for from nearly everyone he meets.

— Staff Writer J. Brian Ewing