I have previously speculated (here) about what it would cost for public schools in Yonkers, New York to put menstrual products in the bathrooms of public schools serving students in grades 6 through 12. According to press reports (here), the Yonkers Board of Education had estimated that supplies would cost $29 per student per year.
I now have some data from the Cambridge (Massachusetts) Public Schools (CPS) that indicates that the actual costs can be much, much lower. The CPS graciously shared with me their three-year purchasing figures. Based on a three year average (calculated during traditional, non-pandemic times), the cost of keeping dispensers stocked with menstrual products is more like $2.48 per student per year.
Details after the fold.
3-Year Cumulative Total |
Average Per Year |
|
Pads |
$4,185 |
$1,395 |
Tampons |
$7,317 |
$2,439 |
Waste wrappers |
$1,164 |
$388 |
Waste receptacles |
$2,886 |
|
Dispensers |
$30,246 |
CPS estimates that approximately 1,700 female students are served by the restrooms stocked with these products. Therefore, on a per student basis, the cost of the menstrual products themselves (including waste wrappers but excluding receptacles and dispensers) is approximately $2.48 per student per year.
The big cost appears to be the dispensers themselves. Presumably those do not need to be replaced very often.
In terms of menstrual products purchased over the three-year period, pads represented 54-57% of CPS’ menstrual product purchases. Tampons represented 43%-46% of products purchased.
This information will be of great interest to researchers and others.
Thanks to CPS representatives Manikka Bowman (Vice-Chair Cambridge School Committee), Vedad Konjic, James Mahoney (CPS Chief Operating Officer), Rosalie Rippey for their assistance in making this data publicly available. Thanks also to Tom Devlin.
$2.50 per year.
And, this is the issue that consumes the attention of law professors.
How could each student doing without Starbucks for one day a year compare with the legal issues around imposition of mass house arrest of persons, etc.?
The answer: see post above.
Next: how the cost of a stamp to obtain a free identification card is an unreasonable imposition on citizens.
Logic? Consistency? Nah ….
Posted by: anon | May 11, 2020 at 03:02 PM