Classroom Furniture Shopping Tips

Before outfitting your school with new chairs, desks, tables and other furniture for the new school year, consider these six factors.

1. Is your school increasing student enrollment?
Most classrooms are fixed in size, with the variable being the number of students per classroom. Creating the same flexible environment requires finding the furnishings that will afford the greatest number of options.

If a classroom must function for a larger number of students, you may have to downscale things like student tables or work stations, sacrificing some work surface area to fit the available space. Putting workstations on wheels allows them to be moved as needed to make room for other activities.

Modular designed furniture can help schools deal with space shortages. Pieces can be configured in numerous ways, such as small groupings or in standard rows, to afford flexibility in tight classroom spaces. This furniture often comes with optional add-on items that can expand their functionality.

2. What are the ages of the students?
When buying furniture, always consider the age of the students. For example, quality daycare tables and desktops are constructed with rounded edges to prevent injury in case a small child runs into a corner. High school desktops are constructed to withstand vandalism and tampering. Elementary school libraries will have shelving that small children can reach. High school libraries can store books at adult heights. Purchasing decisions change dramatically when considering a student's age.

Small children often choose a soft floor space to a chair and desk. Compactness is a key characteristic of furniture that functions best in an open classroom concept. Portable, visual storage units that act as dividers of function-as well as fulfill the needs for storing tote-tray units for chalkboards, for student wardrobes, for books and display units, and for the teacher's storage and work units-allow an open room configuration by consolidating the number of furniture pieces in the room.

Be sure to select the right size chairs and desks for the appropriate age.

If your school has a wide range of students (i.e., elementary to high school), adjustable-height chairs and desks might be a solution.

If your school has younger children, consider whether the chair is light enough to lift and carry. This allows for easy transport of chairs when conducting activities outside the classroom.

3. Is the furniture flexible?
Schools moving away from a lecture-style setup to more flexible styles need furniture that will accommodate discussion and small group work. Flexible furniture will facilitate mobility and multiple uses. Adaptable furniture will meet the needs of the changing educational curriculum and learning styles.

In elementary schools, students typically stay in the same classroom most of the day, so administrators want furnishings that are flexible. Flexible desks allow students to gather in small groups and work independently. They can be rearranged to provide a fresh perspective. These desks are sold separate from chairs.

In the middle and high schools, desk/chair combinations keep the classrooms in better order, but you lose flexibility.

If your school has teachers moving in and out of different classrooms, mobile storage units make it easy for teachers to cart their supplies from room to room.

Schools that can't afford computers for every classroom can go mobile. Mobile computer carts allow teachers to pull together computers from different classrooms to easily set up a computer lab.

4. Is the furniture high quality and long lasting?
Consider where you are placing furniture when looking at quality. Administrative areas need to worry less about durability than classrooms. Classrooms give furniture a daily beating, whereas furniture in administrative areas undergoes lighter wear.

Value can be the most important consideration when purchasing new furniture. Consider a desk that costs $40. That desk will need to be replaced every two years, giving it a lifetime (over 20 years) cost of $400. A well-made desk selling for $200 should last 20 years, for a cost of only $10 per year. Buying quality over price can result in tremendous savings. Envision the cost when you apply these numbers to 200 desks, or even 10,000 desks! Applying this formula to 10,000 desks pays off $200,000. And, don't forget how placing one order for desks once every 20 years, as opposed to 10 times in 20 years, saves time and eliminates confusion overall.

5. Have you factored in shipping costs and lead times?
The start of a new school year is a busy season for most school manufacturers. Shipping lead times can grow longer, getting as long as three months. Additionally, many schools don't have the warehouse space to store new furniture before the school year begins. By ordering in June or July and specifying a delivery date at the beginning of the school year, you can ensure that your furniture will be delivered when you need it.

Shipping costs depend on the size of the product and whether the product ships fully assembled, partially assembled, or completely unassembled. Some products' shipping cost may be proportionate to the sale price, making them quite expensive to ship. However, adding an additional unit or two to the order will reduce the overall cost. For example, a 60" x 48" corkboard sells for $70.85 per unit. This unit is too large to ship UPS and must ship via freight. The general freight cost on this board runs nearly $95; however, three of these boards shipping to the same location will cost only $115. As you can see, there is a higher investment to reduce the freight cost; but as you add additional similar products shipping from the same location, the cost per product will almost always decrease.

6. Did you remember to include after-school programs in the furniture budget?
Higher enrollment can expand your after-school programs. Don't forget to include these programs into the furniture budget.

Multipurpose chairs and tables that fold down and stack flat provide great temporary workspaces for a variety of clubs.

Don't forget about fundraisers for after-school programs. Custom promotional items can display your school name, logo and after school club name. Clubs can sell these items at sporting events, plays, or door-to-door to raise money for trips and other expenses.

This article is courtesy of Direct Advantage, www.directadvantage.com .