Allison Danford Maanya Parikh
eSomethin Staff
Beginning April 1, 2025, staff at Perrysburg Schools will undergo reductions on how many papers they are allowed to print per month. For teachers grades 3-12 this means printing 2,000 copies per month (1,000 single-sided copies and 1,000 double-sided). In total, teachers in grades 3-12 will be allotted $20 per month on printing.
On February 7, Perrysburg Schools staff were sent an email informing them of the reductions. An “adjustment period” of three weeks was given leading up to March 1, in which teachers were allowed to print $35 worth of paper materials retroactive to February 1. This adjustment period was later extended through April 1 when the printing limit decreases to 2,000 copies per month per teacher.
To put the reductions into perspective, most teacher at PHS teaches five or more classes every day. If there are 20 students in every class, that is 100 students being taught by the teacher. If that teacher prints a one-sided piece of paper per student each day of the month, that is 2,200 copies printed.
Printing reductions leave most teachers with less than one page per day per student.
In addition to the printing restriction, color printing will also be limited to extremely specific circumstances, like student learning accommodations, such as 504 plans and IEPs. Color printing can be used by building secretaries for public spaces such as bulletin boards. General color printing for classrooms will be prohibited.
Jaclyn Poll, an English teacher at PHS and English department chair, shared how the paper cuts affect her lesson plans.
“I think some of the biggest impacts are trying to look at the materials that you need to keep on paper and deciding which ones you can convert to Schoology smoothly,” Poll said.
Terri Camp, who teaches American History and AP Psychology, explained ways that she maintained some of her materials on paper.
“It’s not to say that we can’t figure out a way to use less paper. I’m changing font size, not putting every graph in…it’s a work in progress and we have to continue thinking about how we can do this. Life changes all the time, we aren’t going to like each change we’re given, but I think how I react to it rubs off on my students,” Camp said.
“I know for classes like math or even English, it makes schoolwork a lot harder because I don’t have the physical paper to write it down on and I’m getting a lot more lost in the subjects,” said Allyson Cook, a sophomore at PHS.
The email sent to Perrysburg staff encouraged teachers to turn to digital options for learning such as laptops, Schoology, and TV monitors. For some staff, this is a major change. However, for others it is consistent with their previous methods.
Matt Boggs, an English teacher, has a different perspective on the impacts of paper reductions.
“This new cut didn’t really impact me because I spent the bigger part of a decade switching from a paper version of this course to a digitized version of this course,” said Boggs.
Additionally, he sees advantages of digital coursework resources that paper might not allow for.
“[Students] will tend to get in a group and stare at a screen rather than interact … I’ve noticed students, when they hand-write, oftentimes they are not willing to go back and revise as much as they are when it’s digital,” Boggs said.
Brent Shafer, Director of Technology for Perrysburg Schools explained why paper was chosen as an area to cut.
“By reducing district imaging costs by 30–40%, we can save up to $130,000 annually… These cost savings will help preserve essential staff positions and programs that might otherwise face cuts to balance our budget,” Shafer said.
The email sent to Perrysburg Schools staff concludes by saying, “We understand that these changes might be challenging, but we’re confident that, with everyone’s cooperation, we’ll be able to navigate these cuts in a way that still supports our students and staff. Thank you for your understanding and commitment to helping the district through these tough times.”
Other stories on eSomethin:
- English Department Bans All Commas starting April 1 Despite Communication Becoming Confusing
- Perrysburg High School introduces FUNdraiser in the style of “The Hunger Games” on April 1
- Due to Budget Cuts, DOGE Announces Pi to Now Equal 3.0
- Business is booming: Maker-Preneurship is a business and production class at Perrysburg High School
- OPINION: What I’m currently doing to keep myself afloat as a senior in the second semester
