Business in the School Year Written By Gianna Grillo

As summer starts to wind down, the trickling of feet back into school begins again for

another school year. This year, unlike many others in the past, brings a special purpose. It is the first normal back-to-school welcome in almost three years. The dividers in the cafeteria have been taken down and the seats surrounding each table have multiplied. Let’s dive into some of the interesting business events that have inflicted school.

For this year, almost every student needed to purchase school supplies. To no surprise,

the materials cost more this year than any other year. This can be attributed to multiple factors, one being inflation. The CEO of Klover analyzed and reported the following jumps in specific school supplies: “Certain supplies have seen a larger increase in price than others. The price of 3M's Scotch-branded tape increased by 69% this year compared to 2021. Two school supply essentials, Sharpies and Elmer's Glue, are up 55% and 30% this school year” (McGuire). Of course, with everything on the rise in the economy, the last thing students need to worry about is the rise in basic supplies. Luckily, to counteract this in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy signed a bill that generated a ten-day tax holiday lasting from August 27th through September 5th. Usually, there is a 6.625% sales tax rate on the usual goods a student would need. This effort was well needed to combat the hefty prices.

Not only are students having a difficult time, but so are teachers. Currently, there is an

overwhelming and quite alarming shortage of teachers around the nation. The crisis is so bad in some areas that districts in Florida had to turn to military veterans for assistance. A PBS article emphasized that “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people employed in public schools dropped from almost 8.1 million in March 2020 to 7.3 million in May. Employment has grown back to 7.7 million since then, but that still leaves schools short around 360,000 positions” (Luyre). With teachers serving as the backbone of the education system, it will be a difficult year with a lack of them. Districts across the country are going to have to find ways to mitigate this teacher shortage. If not, students will face the brunt of the consequences.

Especially with public schools, funds are tight, causing districts to be very cautious with

their money. Interestingly, some school districts have opted towards solar energy to generate larger funds. In most cases, this change did not add any extra cost to taxpayers. A New York Times article recalls, “Nearly one in 10 K-12 public and private schools across the country were using solar energy by early 2022, according to data released Thursday by Generation180, a nonprofit that promotes and tracks clean energy. That’s twice as many as existed in 2015. The savings in electric bills from schools with solar panels often topped millions in each district” (Buckley). This is a very inventive measure districts are taking. Not only this, it is fighting climate change while incorporating and utilizing other businesses. Saving this money has allowed for the funds to be distributed towards raises for the teachers, heating and ventilation systems, as well as better technological advancements.

It’s time to embrace the journey of the 2022 school year. However, it’s hard for the

multitude of business components related to schools to go unnoticed.

Works Cited

Buckley, Cara. “Solar Energy Is Helping Schools Make Ends Meet.” The New York Times, 15

Sept. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/climate/solar-energy-school-funding.html.

McGuire, Erika. “Inflation Affects Cost of Back-to-school Supplies.” ABC17NEWS, 16 Aug.

2022,

abc17news.com/news/education/2022/08/15/inflation-affects-cost-of-back-to-school-supp

lies.

Sharon Lurye, Associated Press and Rebecca Griesbach, AL.com. “Teacher Shortages a Reality

as Schools Struggle to Fill New Positions.” PBS NewsHour, 12 Sept. 2022,

www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/teacher-shortages-a-reality-as-schools-struggle-to-fill-new

-positions.