Teachers' No. 1 lesson: Hit back-to-school sales

Cost-conscious parents aren't the only ones who take advantage of back-to-school sales.

As they crowd around the school supplies shelves each August, parents often rub elbows with a number of teachers who are eager to stock up on materials for their classrooms.

Though school districts supply materials for classrooms, teachers still keep an eye out for those back-to-school sales that are just too good to pass up.

Marilyn Joschak, a first-grade teacher at McCullough Elementary in the Penn-Trafford School District, said she tries to get more bang for her buck by stocking up on cheaper supplies.

"I look all summer long to see what I can buy in bulk," Joschak said. "If you wait until the last minute, sometimes you can get some great deals. I went to Wal-Mart one year, and they had folders for a penny apiece. That was one of the best deals I got!"

Though Joschak gets $100 each school year from the McCullough Parent/Teacher Organization for classroom supplies, she still pays for other items.

"Whatever I can't get with that, I go out and buy it on my own," she said. "There isn't a teacher around that hasn't had to do that. It just happens."

Joschak said she looks for other ways to save money aside from the sales.

"If you use your PSEA (Pennsylvania State Education Association) card, stores will give you a discount or let you get a two-fer on a sale," she said. "Pat Catan's has sales for teachers every Tuesday in August, so I buy things for my bulletin boards."

Linda Vitale, a first-grade teacher at Sloan Elementary School in the Franklin Regional School District, said she likes to buy pencil boxes for her students. The boxes help students keep organized and gives them something they can take with them as they move through the school, Vitale said.

As summer draws to a close, Vitale scans the back-to-school ads and tries to get to the stores as early as possible to get the best deals.

"I like to keep it at 50 cents (per item)," she said.

George Safin, finance director at Franklin Regional, said each school in the district is given funding for supplies, which is based on the number of students in a building. Money is issued for textbooks and classroom equipment.

Vitale said teachers just beginning their careers usually are the most excited about stocking up on any supplies they need that the district doesn't provide.

"New teachers go all out," she said.

Because the Penn-Trafford gives teachers basic supplies such as pencils and paper, Joschak said she spends her money on fun items for students.

"I buy birthday pencils and erasers or supplies for our prize boxes," she explained.

Joschak said she also looks for items that will last longer so that she doesn't have to buy them year after year.

"I buy baskets rather than pencil cases, because I can set one on each table, and art supplies usually last more than one year," she said. "Name tags might also be left over from one year to the next. I try to make things as permanent as possible."

Joschak already has bought her own folders, but she hopes she finds a deal as good as penny folders for her students.

"Oh, my God. I think I bought 100 folders, and that was a couple of years ago," she said with a laugh. "They're all gone. I might have to go to Wal-Mart again!"