District gives away surplus desks
Foundation aims to help students who are distance learning
PALMDALE — With thousands of students engaged in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, many students need a desk at home. The Palmdale School District Foundation will help fill this need with a free student desk giveaway on Friday and Saturday.
The free desks will be handed out from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Summerwind Elementary School, 39360 Summerwind Drive.
Desks will be available until the supply runs out. There is limit of five desks per family.
Foundation Board members and Palmdale School District trustees Sharon Vega and Nancy Smith organized the desk giveaway and will be assisted by the Palmdale West Kiwanis Club. Both organizations support education, children and families in the Antelope Valley.
The foundation received approximately 1,300 desks. The majority of desks have a wood top with adjustable legs and so can fit any size student. There are also some double desks.
The desks are surplus equipment
from Palmdale School District. They are from classrooms that were upgraded to new style student-friendly furniture across the District.
“Teachers have been noticing the kids are sitting on their beds, on their couch,” said Vega, who serves as the foundation’s treasurer. “They need desks. We’re trying to take away one more obstacle from home learning, online learning, by giving them an appropriate place to work at when they’re online.”
The District surplussed the desks to the foundation. In order to surplus equipment to a nonprofit organization, the District is required to make two attempts to sell them. Some of the old desks were sold via an auction company to an undisclosed client. After trying the auction and trying to sell the desks directly, Palmdale School District’s Board of Education chose to surplus the remaining desks to the nonprofit Palmdale School District Foundation.
“We’re just trying to take as many obstacles away to make online learning the best it can be,” Vega said.