COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Old buses, unneeded desks and other unused equipment and materials from Colorado Springs public schools will soon be put to use by schools in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico.
The school board agreed in October to send some of the district’s surplus goods to Mexico. Most of the furniture items were shipped on Nov. 16 and the buses are expected to be sent later as part of a Rotary International project.
Total value of the donations is less than $5,000, said Frank Bernhard, the district’s executive director of facilities, operations and transportation.
The vehicles still run but repairing them is not economical, Bernhard said. Parts are hard to find for some of them.
George Noble, the district’s warehouse and custodial support manager, said donating the unused items saves district taxpayers the cost of dismantling them for scrap.
“We’re actually saving money,” Noble said.
When surplus items are sent to a school district warehouse, some are auctioned off or offered to charter schools, other school districts, nonprofit organizations or home-schoolers.
The district keeps some items in case a school sees an increase in enrollment or if they are needed for emergencies.
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Information from: The Gazette,
