Replacing old and damaged furniture for three school campuses could cost the South Whidbey School District over $110,000 if the South Whidbey School Board approves a purchase request tonight at a workshop meeting.

Included in the request are stools, desks, chairs and tables. Maintenance Director Brian Miller said the district has been steadily replacing outdated furniture at South Whidbey High School, South Whidbey Elementary School and Langley Middle School over the past few years. He expects the new purchases will complete the replacement process.

Miller said some chairs are plastic and have cracks in them. There are also instances of welds that have failed, broken baskets meant to hold books and sharp protrusions coming from chairs that have needed to be filed and sanded down to make them safe. Miller said the furniture is slightly more expensive than what was bought in the past, but added that the quality is better.

Teachers will have more flexibility in how they can arrange their classrooms because the desks and chairs will be separated. In the past, the schools have had student desks with both a seat and a small table.

The furniture will go to the high school, elementary school and the elementary school’s “South Campus,” formerly known as the primary school.