Community asks Saucon Valley SD to reuse surplus equipment; board approves surplus declaration

A community member urged the Saucon Valley School District to consider alternatives to disposal for obsolete equipment and library books, and the board approved a motion declaring a list of items surplus or obsolete.

Barrett Geier of Woltersocket thanked the board for "popsicles with the principals" and then raised concerns about the district's surplus list, noting roughly $15 estimated value per Wi-Fi access point and a set of 11 Korg keyboards on the list. Geier asked whether the devices and books could be resold, donated to students or community groups, or otherwise repurposed rather than discarded.

Mr. Hansen (Technology/IT, as identified in the meeting) told the board the Wi‑Fi equipment had been out of support from Meraki since February 2024 and cannot be used without a license. He said he contacted electronics buyers with no interest in that specific equipment and characterized the devices as having little resale value beyond recycling.

Hansen said the keyboards had been in storage and dated to around 2004; he characterized them as e-waste and said he did not know their working condition. In response to community suggestions, board members and administrators discussed options: offering books to students (Miss Sams had indicated she would open the list to students), exploring e‑waste vendors that provide data‑destruction certificates, letting parent organizations (PTOs or boosters) handle items for fundraising, or posting items for community purchase.

Board member Miss Felicity asked whether the district could list surplus items on its website for community purchase; an administrator said districts sometimes use third‑party marketplaces such as eBay or Facebook and that administration typically determines sale approach after the board declares items surplus. A board member raised concern about the administrative burden of small sales and suggested first assessing the likely revenue before setting up accounts.

After discussion, the board approved the surplus/obsolete declaration. Administrators said they will determine disposal methods, which may include e‑waste recycling, community distribution, or allocation to parent organizations, and will report back to the board.

Votes at a glance - Approve surplus/obsolete items (Facilities Item 1): motion approved (voice vote). Discussion covered Wi‑Fi equipment, keyboards and approximately 600 library books listed for removal.

Community commenter quote Barrett Geier said of the principals' event, "My daughters loved it. They had a great time." On surplus items he said some items "could benefit the community."