Regarding volleyball shoes.....
Our local public school district has lost it's mind as far as I can tell. Every sports team purchases new shoes every season. The shoes are picked by the coach and paid for by the parents. This year 8th grade volleyball shoes are $90. This is a very small town so the same kids generally play all the sports. It gets very expensive. The shoes come on top of a $50 fee just for participating in sports.
High school cheerleading uniforms were $600 this year. Drill team uniforms are $200 - 300 every year. I do not know why parents in this town continue to allow this, but they do. Parents don't want to make a fuss because the coaches may take it out on the kids.
I rant on this topic all the time. Both of our local factories have closed. Our coal mine has closed. Our county has one of the highest unemployment rate in Illinois, yet our schools do this. GRRRR!