Trash or treasure? The scramble for resources...
Class parties can be a very exciting time for kids. After the games, activities and treats, most teachers will try to settle everyone down to watch a movie. Usually, the biggest challenge is the movie selection. This year, my child's teacher held up several choices and the class voted. It took about 3 minutes to pick out the movie but then came the real challenge, finding a laptop that worked.
Out of all the 20+ laptops, only four worked. Then, four became three when one was dropped and the battery pack came off. Five minutes later, we were able to snap the battery back into place but the laptop still didn't work, it was added to the stack in the corner. The teacher said she did not know what they were going to do because there were no plans to replace or repair the broken laptops piling up in the corner.
Later that day, I ran into a retired teacher and was telling her about the lack of classroom resources. This teacher of school years past asked me to tell current teachers about the surplus auctions. For years, she regularly shopped the Memphis City School surplus auctions to furnish items for her classroom. It's no big secret that teachers pay for classroom items out of their own pockets but who knew they were buying things already bought and paid for by taxpayers?
A quick check of the Shelby County School website revealed that surplus auctions exist, they really do!
Memphis, Tenn. – Shelby County Schools is holding a public auction of surplus items on Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 9 a.m at the SCS Mallory Warehouse, 1384-A Farmville. Auction items include classroom furniture, vehicles, auto shop equipment, televisions, and more. Vehicles, furniture and equipment will be on display and may be inspected on Friday, November 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, contact Robert Braden, (901) 416-2830 or (901) 416-4116. CLASSROOM/OFFICE FURNITURE/EQUIPMENT Stack Chairs, Computer Tables, Desks Office Furniture, Metal Carts, File Cabinets Bookcases, Early Childhood Furniture, Classroom Furniture Office Chairs, A/V Carts, Color TVs MISCELLANEOUS Commercial Mixers, Band Saw, Shop Tables Commercial Ovens, Lathes, Industrial Sewing Machines Hot & Cold Tables, Welders, Upright Electronic Piano Pedestal Grinders, Washer Machines, Stainless Steel Food Prep Tables Ice Cream & Milk Boxes, Drill Press, Dryers, Food Warmers VARIOUS VEHICLES and ADDITIONAL MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS All sales are final.
http://www.scsk12.org/uf/news/viewrelease.php?id=119
To make teachers buy classroom resources from their own pockets is a stingy thing to do, but to make them pay for items they have already bought as taxpayers?
Well, we would call that Scrooge-like except Ebenezer Scrooge kept meticulous accounting records and would never come up $48 million short in an audit. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/dec/02/audit-of-shelby-schools-shows-staggering-484-in/
Class parties can be a very exciting time for kids. After the games, activities and treats, most teachers will try to settle everyone down to watch a movie. Usually, the biggest challenge is the movie selection. This year, my child's teacher held up several choices and the class voted. It took about 3 minutes to pick out the movie but then came the real challenge, finding a laptop that worked.
Out of all the 20+ laptops, only four worked. Then, four became three when one was dropped and the battery pack came off. Five minutes later, we were able to snap the battery back into place but the laptop still didn't work, it was added to the stack in the corner. The teacher said she did not know what they were going to do because there were no plans to replace or repair the broken laptops piling up in the corner.
Later that day, I ran into a retired teacher and was telling her about the lack of classroom resources. This teacher of school years past asked me to tell current teachers about the surplus auctions. For years, she regularly shopped the Memphis City School surplus auctions to furnish items for her classroom. It's no big secret that teachers pay for classroom items out of their own pockets but who knew they were buying things already bought and paid for by taxpayers?
A quick check of the Shelby County School website revealed that surplus auctions exist, they really do!
Memphis, Tenn. – Shelby County Schools is holding a public auction of surplus items on Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 9 a.m at the SCS Mallory Warehouse, 1384-A Farmville. Auction items include classroom furniture, vehicles, auto shop equipment, televisions, and more. Vehicles, furniture and equipment will be on display and may be inspected on Friday, November 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, contact Robert Braden, (901) 416-2830 or (901) 416-4116. CLASSROOM/OFFICE FURNITURE/EQUIPMENT Stack Chairs, Computer Tables, Desks Office Furniture, Metal Carts, File Cabinets Bookcases, Early Childhood Furniture, Classroom Furniture Office Chairs, A/V Carts, Color TVs MISCELLANEOUS Commercial Mixers, Band Saw, Shop Tables Commercial Ovens, Lathes, Industrial Sewing Machines Hot & Cold Tables, Welders, Upright Electronic Piano Pedestal Grinders, Washer Machines, Stainless Steel Food Prep Tables Ice Cream & Milk Boxes, Drill Press, Dryers, Food Warmers VARIOUS VEHICLES and ADDITIONAL MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS All sales are final.
http://www.scsk12.org/uf/news/viewrelease.php?id=119
To make teachers buy classroom resources from their own pockets is a stingy thing to do, but to make them pay for items they have already bought as taxpayers?
Well, we would call that Scrooge-like except Ebenezer Scrooge kept meticulous accounting records and would never come up $48 million short in an audit. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/dec/02/audit-of-shelby-schools-shows-staggering-484-in/
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