Throughout the years, schools accumulate a lot of items no longer used or needed by teachers, staff and students.

Old overhead projectors, file cabinets, desks and chairs, book shelves, encyclopedias and typical school furnishings are stored in closets and wherever else they can accumulate without getting in the way.

And then there are the odd, miscellaneous items left behind, such as an aquarium, old trophies and even a hot dog cooker.

To clear out storage space and make money, Seymour Community School Corp. will have a surplus auction to sell unwanted items at 10 a.m. Saturday at the district’s bus garage at 1638 S. Walnut St. behind the administration office.

Local auctioneer Max Klosterman, who also is a school board member, will conduct the auction.

The corporation usually conducts an auction every other year but due to having a lot of larger items taking up space has had them the past two years, said Dave Stark, director of facilities and grounds.

Public schools are required by state law to dispose of surplus equipment through an auction or public bid process because they are purchased with tax dollars. School districts also can sell or donate items to other school corporations or nonprofits under direction of the school board.

Although he wishes the auction would bring in millions of dollars, Stark said, he will settle for a few thousand. He said the money will go back to the district’s general fund.

“It just depends on what items we have and the size of the crowd,” he said of how much money will be made.

In the past, the auctions have attracted about 100 people, Stark said.

The items being sold could be of interest and use to certain people, he said.

“Other schools, home schools, day cares, anyone working in early education or those who operate a commercial kitchen because we often have kitchen equipment,” he said.

Stark said the auction also is a good place for people who like to repurpose items for their homes or to sell.

Any items that are not sold will be sent to the landfill or recycled.

“It breaks my heart when we have to throw things away,” he said.

Stark said there aren’t any strange items this time around, but in the past, he remembers having some old paper cutters from the high school and a safe that ended up being sold two or three times.

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What: Seymour Community School Corp. surplus auction

Where: Transportation garage, 1638 S. Walnut St., behind the administration office

When: 10 a.m. Saturday

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