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School board approves surplus list, asks staff to add purchase years for devices
Summary
Maury County Board of Education agreed to place a large surplus list — including hundreds of computers and devices — on the consent agenda while directing staff to add purchase-year data for electronic items and to explain the surplus verification process.
The Maury County Board of Education on Tuesday placed a large surplus list on the consent agenda and asked staff to add purchase-year information for electronic devices before future surplus approvals.
Board members reviewed a multi-page surplus list that included several hundred items, with a sizable portion consisting of laptops, iPads and other devices returned from schools. “It’s been recommended to surplus the list that’s attached here,” a staff member said, then explained the list will move to the Financial Management Board for acknowledgment.
Board member Miss Stevenson asked for a column showing the year each item was purchased. Finance staff said the inventory system contains purchase dates but that transferring that data to the state-formatted surplus sheet will take time. “It’s not impossible, but it’s going to take some dedicated hours… some of these things were purchased in batches,” the staff member said, adding that electronics with serial numbers can be cross-referenced to validate the year.
Board members pressed for clarity about how devices are vetted. A board member asked whether items marked “good” on the surplus list could still be used; the staff response was that some items in “good” physical condition can be functionally obsolete because they cannot run required software (for example, they cannot run Windows 11). “It could be in good shape… but it’s not gonna run the softwares that the students have to have,” the staff member said.
The board heard that surplus devices are returned from schools, inspected by the tech department and either repurposed, sold in bulk, recycled or stored until surplus. Staff described past sales that netted only small sums and cited problems when buyers failed to retrieve purchases. “You may sell a thousand laptops, and they bring $25… and then the person that paid $25 for them… decide they don’t want to come and get them,” the staff member said.
After discussion, the board agreed to place the June surplus list on consent and directed staff to add a purchase-year column for electronic items when practicable. Staff said they would pull purchase-year data from inventory records by matching serial numbers where available and would report back on feasibility and estimated staff hours required to produce the updated surplus sheet.
Board members also emphasized that some surplus furniture or school-purchased items may not carry a purchase date and that those exceptions would be noted when present.
The decision to add the surplus list to consent does not itself change disposal or sale practices; staff retained responsibility for inventory verification and disposition.
