School Planners No Longer Promised to All Students
District ordered 600 fewer planners than last year in cost-saving effort.
Upperclassmen were told planners would not be given to them on the first day of school, Aug. 22.
For the past 10 years, students were handed out new planners on the first day of school. This year, however, not all students were given a planner.
All freshmen were given planners at orientation, while the remainder of students were notified that they would not receive a planner unless they asked for it.
Because 500 planners were left over at the end of last school year, approximately 600 fewer planners were ordered for this year, according to Dr. Ann Spurrier, assistant principal.
“By the end of the year, we just started giving them away,” she said.
Sophomore Jack Smith, who did not use his planner last year, said he agrees with the decision. “I understand why they didn’t give them to everyone because most people don’t use them,” said Smith. “I think it was a good idea to just give them to the people who want them.”
Spurrier said planners weren’t given to upperclassmen in order to save money. “We had hundreds leftover and saved several thousand dollars this year,” Spurrier said.
Spurrier said that the school saved an estimated $4,000 this year by cutting the number of planners ordered from 2,100 to 1,500.
Accounting Specialist Marian Steenbergh said that the cost of an individual planner varies.
“Since the planners are tailored to the individual school, cost varies as to what is included in the planner, information pertinent to the school, surface/inside colors, shipping,” Steenbergh wrote in an email.
According to Steenbergh, the cost of an individual planner this school year was $6.92. Last school year, each planner cost $7.50.
English teacher Elaine Mason said it is important for students to have planners. Mason said that planners should be “easily accessible, available, the morning of the first day of school.”
Mason doesn’t see a reason for the universal distribution to change. “Historically we have [provided planners for all students]. I don’t see a reason to change that and I think most students count on that.”
Upperclassmen were told that planners would be distributed for free in the bookstore during lunch periods.
Junior Meredith Frothingham said she tried to acquire a school planner before ultimately purchasing her own.
“I went to the high school store in the cafeteria to go get a planner, but they ran out during my lunch period,” Frothingham said.
“I went to OfficeMax that night and spent $8 on a planner, only to find out it was only a 2017 planner,” she said. “So now I have to use a 2017 planner and cross out the dates.”
Campus and City Reporter Katrina Cassell contributed reporting.
