Abandoned And Closed Schools: Haunting Scenes And What To Do With The Furniture
When school districts shut down schools, there are a number of reasons why. Maybe the buildings are not safe anymore. Maybe things are too old and do not work right. Maybe there is an extremely low enrollment and the oldest schools are no longer needed.
Whatever the reason, it leaves behind buildings filled with classroom furniture and old classroom supplies. Walk through these abandoned schools, and you almost get a chill looking at the empty, quiet rooms filled with old ghosts of vanished days. As a board member of a school district, what can you do with all of this stuff? Here are some ideas.
Hold an Auction
Some of the desks and school furniture in the closed schools is almost historic. People in the city or town could actually own a piece of history via an auction. Some old desks are useful for kids' rooms and for rec rooms or finished basements. Since a lot of it may be too outdated to use in newer schools, auctioning it off would help raise funds for new school construction and new school furniture, too.
Use the Old Schools' Classrooms for Storage
It is not the best of ideas, but yes, you could use the old schools and the classrooms in them to store outdated and antiquated furniture and equipment. It is possible that at some point you might need all of this stuff. An example of when and why you might need it is a school evacuation where a tornado or bomb has destroyed the newer schools and your only option is to reopen the older schools with the older furniture and equipment in order to keep classes going.
Sell It to a Second-Hand Classroom Furniture Dealer
If the furniture is not too outdated, you could sell the stuff to a second-hand classroom furniture dealer. These stores buy your gently used, gum wad-free, unmarked and unscratched, unbroken classroom furniture for cash. Then they resell the furniture to other schools and colleges that could use the furniture.
They may also sell it to museums, if you have a historic or vintage teacher's desk or two. There are many, many schools, especially rural ones, in this country that need classroom furniture but cannot fit it into their budget without help. Buying second-hand furniture from the second-hand classroom furniture dealer helps them get the desks and supplies they need to fit their tiny budget.
