LI districts still ask parents to buy calculators

Nearly four years after the state's education department issued guidelines to school districts requiring them to supply calculators for their students, at least a dozen districts on Long Island still include the item on their lists of school supplies that parents must buy.

"Under no circumstances should students be charged for a calculator or otherwise required to purchase one in order to participate in an educational program," a 2006 education department memo reads.

Still, scientific and graphing calculators are included on dozens of supply lists for local middle schools and high schools. Some lists even include the price of the calculator and a list of stores where they are found.

The issue was mentioned in a report last month on the high cost of school supplies by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

George Deabold, an East Islip parent who was key in prompting the state to issue its guidelines, said while some districts have since complied, "the problem is there's no mechanism of enforcement."

The state relies on districts to voluntarily comply, said Jane Briggs, education department spokeswoman. District residents can appeal to the education commissioner, who can opt to issue a legally binding decision to individual districts, she said. So far, the commissioner has not received any appeals or issued any decisions.

Some parents said they didn't know that districts are supposed to provide the calculators - some of which can cost upward of $100.

Janet Thode of Huntington Station said her daughter, a ninth-grader in the South Huntington school district, recently brought home a supply list that included a calculator.

"My husband's on disability and I'm trying to juggle money around all the time," she said. "It's difficult to spend $90 on a calculator."

The district did not return calls for comment.

Dawn Barca, a parent in the Huntington school district, said she bought her 14-year-old daughter a graphing calculator for more than $100.

"It didn't occur to me to ask if it was an option," Barca said. "I bought it because it was on the list."

Huntington district officials said the district provides calculators in class, but not for students to use at home.

Several districts that had calculators on their school supply lists said that the lists were inaccurate, outdated, or simply for parents' information only.

Roslyn Superintendent Dan Brenner said the fact a TI-30X IIS calculator was on supply lists for the sixth, seventh and eighth grades didn't mean that parents had to buy the devices.

"It's on there because we want parents to know it's a function of the class and requirement of the class," he said.

Scientific and graphing calculators also were on the supply lists at the middle school in the Malverne school district.

Richard Banyon, deputy superintendent, said the calculators were just a recommendation, although nowhere on the lists is that clear. "All our students know this and all our parents know this. How they know it, I don't know," he said. "No student ever comes in with a calculator, so somehow they get the word."

Charles Murphy, superintendent in Island Trees, said his district had only about half of the number of calculators needed for its students. That district also listed calculators on its supply lists for the middle and high schools.

"The answer's clear to me: We'll be purchasing these for the future, and taking them off the parent supply list," Murphy said. "We apologize and we'll address this ASAP."