AREA SCHOOLS FIND PAPER TRAIL 15 MILLION SHEETS OF PAPER LONG

If area public schools were to leave a paper trail, the 15.4 million sheets ordered annually would be over 25,000 miles long.

In an effort to save money, a dozen local schools have formed a cooperative to purchase copy and computer paper in bulk.

The four tractor-trailer trucks carrying 30,800 reams of paper arrived at Cape Girardeau public schools this week.

The paper is delivered directly from the mill to the Cape Girardeau school warehouse.

"On Thursday and Friday all the school districts will be here -- some in farm trucks and school buses, anything that can haul paper," said Calvin Brennan with Cape Girardeau schools.

The co-op was developed six years ago by Brennan and Larry Dew, school district business manager.

"This lets us help them and help ourselves at the same time," said Brennan.

Cape Girardeau schools use 1,408 cases of copy paper each year and qualify for a bulk rate.

"But with the other schools we're doubling our order. We help them out and get a better price for ourselves," he said.

The extra work is minimal, Brennan said. "For the amount of money we save, it pays for itself."

This year's order for all the schools totalled $50,709.

Brennan said the cost of paper fluxuates greatly each year, which makes calculating a net savings difficult. But the price this year per case was the lowest ever.

Superintendent Darryl Sauer at Kelso C-7 schools said the cooperative agreement always means a savings for his small school district.

"At a school, you have to have paper for worksheets and for the office," Sauer said.

He ordered 50 cases of copy paper and three cases of computer paper. Before placing his order with the co-op, Sauer said he did some price comparisons and found it was less expensive to order with the other schools.

"If we can get it cheaper, even a little, that's great," Sauer said.

He will take the district's small school bus or borrow a pick-up truck to collect the paper this week.

Other school districts involved in the co-op: Notre Dame, Scott County Central, Delta, Oran, Scott City, Thomas Kelly, Meadow Heights, East Prairie, Oak Ridge and Marquand.