Paper At A Premium at Waterford High

After crunching some numbers this fall, Waterford High Principal Don Macrino realized the school was going to exceed its $14,000 paper budget … again. It has happened almost every year, but money was found elsewhere in the budget, Macrino said.

This year was different, though, Macrino said. The budgets were much tighter and there was no “other money” to be had, he said.

So, it was time to make a change.

“I had to break tradition of having all the paper you ever wanted anytime you ever wanted,” he said. “We were going to run out by January if I didn’t do anything.”

Beginning in the fall, and continuing throughout the year, the school would do its best to control its paper supply, Macrino said. That meant double-sided copies, more files passed on electronically and some more broken pencils.

“We were going backward and forward controlling our paper supplies,” he said. “Backward, with more note-taking off of the board, and forward, with more assignments delivered online.”

To start, teachers were given set amounts of paper (a ream for two weeks) to work with, Macrino said. If they needed more, they would get more, but only if the paper was truly necessary, he said.

And even next year, when the paper budget is restored, the same emphasis on conservation will apply, Macrino said. It is just a good way to keep costs down, he said.

“This is not a practice that is going to go away,” Macrino said. “We just need to be more careful on how we manage our resources.”

New Superintendent Jerome Belair supported his principal.

“One thing we really need to do is manage our resources,” Belair said. “We just can’t afford to waste anymore.”

Student Reaction

Waterford High students didn’t see things the same way. Paper is a necessity for education and should not be restricted, student Jennifer Patten said.

Tests are shared among classes now, so you can’t write on them, and homework has to be printed out after being received online, she said. It is all very frustrating, she said.

 “I just think it is ridiculous,” Patten said.

Fellow student Brittany Stoy agreed.

“We spend so much on so many other things, and how much can paper cost?” she said.

Still, Stoy felt many students were making it worse than it really was. For example, many teachers had their students take notes anyway, instead of giving away handouts, so for those classes there is no change, she said.

“I don’t really like it,” Stoy said, “But it isn’t as big of a deal as some students make it.”

Macrino, meanwhile, acknowledged some students, teachers and parents might have an issue. All of those issues can be resolved, he said.

“If anyone has a particular problem, they can contact me directly,” Macrino said. “And I will either explain why that problem exists, and give them an answer that makes sense on why it is that way, or more likely, I will be able to fix it."