Students headed back to class soon
Louisville City Schools will lead the way for Eastern Stark County's return to the classroom for the 2022-23 school year.
Children in grades one through five, along with those in grades six and nine will head back to class in Louisville on Aug. 17.
The entire Louisville district will be in class on Aug. 18.
Alliance City School Districts will welcome back on Aug. 18 students in grades one, two, four, six and nine. All grades will be in class on Aug. 19.
Sebring Local Schools will bring all students back to class on Aug. 18. Salem City School District students in grades one to 12 return on Aug. 24, while kindergarten students will have their first day Aug. 29.
Marlington Local and West Branch Local school districts as usual don't return until after Labor Day.
Marlington students will head back to school on Tuesday, Sept. 6. West Branch students head back Wednesday, Sept. 8.
Savings this week for back-to-school items
Families preparing to send their students back to school might want to look for bargains this weekend, when the state of Ohio marks its annual tax-free days for purchases of clothing and school supplies.
The holiday, which runs Friday through Sunday, means shoppers won't pay state or county sales tax on an item of clothing priced $75 or less, or school supplies or school instructional materials priced $20 or less.
There's no limit on the total purchase. A shopper, for example, who spends $300 on two shirts, two pairs of pants, a pair of shoes and a jacket won't pay tax on any of those items, assuming each was priced under $75.
But if an item of clothing, for example, sells for more than $75, tax is due on the entire sales price.
How much will you save?
Stark County's sales tax currently is 6.5%, which means shoppers would save $6.50 on a purchase of $100. In Mahoning and Columbiana counties, which have sales tax levels of 7.5%, shoppers would save $7.50 on a purchase of $100.
The annual event comes as the inflation rate appears ready to head into double digits in July reports due soon. It would be the highest rate since 1981, driving up the cost of many things students will need and wear when they start school in coming weeks.
The National Retail Federation's annual back-to-school survey of shoppers finds 68% say they've noticed higher prices on school items, including clothing, accessories and school supplies, and 38% percent say they're cutting back on spending in other areas to cover the cost of school items.
The federation's survey expects back-to-school spending this year to match 2021’s record of $37 billion for families with children in elementary through high school. The average household will spend $864 on school items, about $15 more than last year, according to the survey.
Back-to-college spending is expected to total nearly $74 billion, up from last year’s record of $71 billion and the highest in the survey’s history. More college students and their families plan to shop this year compared to last and anticipate spending an average of $1,199, about the same as last year.
Ohio no-tax weekend arrives just in time for back-to-school shopping
Back-to-school spending, second only to holiday spending in terms of total spending, increased when students headed back to actual classrooms after being in virtual ones during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Retail analyst Lee Peterson, executive vice president at WD Partners, a retail-consulting company based in Dublin, said there's no sign of slowing sales despite inflation pressures and worries about the economy.
Parents who continue to work from home haven't been hit as hard with the increases in gasoline prices and other increasing costs, he said.
The Columbus Dispatch contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: When do Alliance, Marlington, western Mahoning students head back to school?
