Q: With Shen now supplying pencils to students do we have a contract with Ticonderoga pencils, and if so, how long does the contract last for? Shen seriously needs to change to a different brand of pencils. Ticonderoga used to be the stand alone best pencil, but their pencil quality has now degraded so much that we are lucky to get 3 or 4 pencils out of each 12 pack that sharpen normally without either the lead constantly breaking or the wood of the pencil not sharpening correctly where the other 8 or 9 pencils are basically wasted and is also a waste of district funds. Every teacher I have talked to (at the elementary level) has had the same problem, and it doesn’t matter what type of sharpener you use – school ones, handheld, electric, etc. Please consider changing brands as soon as it is possible to do so, thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Written by on October 30, 2023

This is the first complaint we’ve received regarding Ticonderoga pencils and this is the second school year providing them.  We purchase these through the Central Warehouse bid process, which runs through mid-January. In the past we received multiple complaints when we’ve awarded the contract to a manufacturer other than Ticonderoga.