Pottsville Area School District is expecting to make more than $50,000 from an upcoming public sale of student-used desk and laptops, Dianne Dougherty, district technology director, said Monday.
"If we sell every desktop computer system and laptop we're offering, it could be around $55,000," Dougherty said.
The Pottsville Area School District Computer Sale will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. July 31 in the cafeteria at John S. Clarke Elementary Center, 601 N. 16th St.
"People will have to enter through the side gym door. On sales, we're accepting cash only," Dougherty said.
The district holds sales like these when it decides to replace used equipment with new equipment. For example, in July 2012, the district held a sale and everything sold, Dougherty said.
"We had one last year when we replaced computers at the high school. I believe we had 235 desktops for sale and we sold out. We didn't place a limit on the number of items one person could buy, since we didn't know what to expect. This year, we are limiting sales to two items per person. So a person can buy two desktops, one desktop and one laptop or two laptops," Dougherty said.
This year, desktop computers from the elementary school and laptops used at both the middle school and high school are up for sale.
The used computers are six years old, she said.
The money from the sale will go toward the cost of computer equipment the district recently bought, district Business Manager Stephen C. Curran said Monday.
On July 10, the school board approved a four-year lease with Apple Inc. for computer replacements in the high school publications room. The lease will cost $48,799.99 per year, for a total of $199,199.96.
The board also approved a five-year lease with LEAF Capital Funding LAM Systems for laptop replacements at the high school. The lease will cost $40,067.52 per year, for a total of $200,337.60.
On July 18, the district had set aside 260 used desktop computers and 280 used laptop computers for sale. The district offered its employees an opportunity to buy them first, Dougherty said.
On Monday, there were 250 used desktop computers and 159 used laptop computers remaining, Dougherty said.
"The quantities may be a little lower by the 31st due to employee purchases. The laptops seem to be more popular than the desktops," she said.
As of Monday, the following items were stacked up in the auditorium:
- 250 desktop computers, Dell OptiPlex GX745 models. Each includes a Pentium 4 computer with 1GB RAM memory, an 80GB hard drive, a CDRW/DVD combo drive and a Dell 1708FP flat panel, 17-inch monitor, a keyboard, a computer mouse and a Windows XP Professional operating system. Each are $75, Dougherty said.
- 35 Dell Latitude D630 laptops. Each includes Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.20 GHz CPU, 2GB RAM memory, an 80GB hard drive, a 14.1-inch WXGA screen, 24X CD-RW/DVD Combo drive, a wireless 802.11 b/g adapter, an AC adapter power cord and a Windows XP Professional operating system. Each are $125.
- 124 Lenovo Thinkpad R500 laptops. Each includes Intel Celeron 2.00GHz, 1GB RAM memory, an 80GB hard drive, a 15.4-inch LCD screen, a DVD/CD-RW drive, a wireless 802.11 b/g adapter, an AC adapter power cord and Windows XP Professional operating system. Each are $125.
"No additional software or speakers will be included. Units will be sold as is with no warranty and the Pottsville Area School District will not be responsible for any technical support for these units," Dougherty said.
In a related matter, since March 2012, the district has generated "about $8,700" by selling used items through Ebay, Dougherty said.
In March 2012, the school board unanimously voted to open up an account on the online auction site and appointed Dougherty to oversee that account.
