Superintendent outlines Chromebook repair costs, asset rules and replacement fees

Superintendent Jackie Collins told the Oasis Charter School Governing Board on Oct. 14 that the charter system tracks device repairs closely and charges families to recoup repair and replacement costs, but that service fees on third-party payment platforms reduce net receipts to the schools.

Collins said the charter system operates on an asset cycle of about four years at secondary grades and five years at the elementary level and that the district piggybacks on Lee County purchasing contracts. “We have 3 sets of student devices… we buy them in a series,” Collins said, adding that warranty expiration dates differ by model series.

Collins reported that the system logs roughly 200 repairs a year at the middle school and about 150 at the high school. School IT works with an external vendor that performs repairs on campus; students receive loaner devices while repairs are completed. Collins said the system will hold diplomas or restrict participation in some end-of-year activities until unpaid device fines are cleared.

Board members asked for and received comparisons between Oasis fees and Lee County’s. Collins said Oasis’s published replacement price examples include: sleeve replacement $22 (Lee County example shown at $17), power adapter $42 (county $36), and a Chromebook replacement listed at $378 (county $358). She stressed that some listed charges reflect full repair-and-service overhead — including labor, enrollment, asset tagging and software setup — and that when parents pay through MySchoolBucks a 4.95% service fee is deducted by that vendor. “So we’re not making 4.95, we’re making, $301. So we’re not even getting cost back,” Collins said, explaining that the platform fee reduces net recovery on a replacement payment.

Collins described record-keeping practices used for disputes: incident reports completed by students, photos, and videos uploaded to the asset-management system. She said staff will provide families with documentation and evidence when fees are contested. Collins also said the system salvages usable parts from older loaner devices to manage costs and that the school contracts with the City of Cape Coral IT department for services.

Board members asked that replacement prices be included in parents’ beginning-of-year paperwork; staff said the list is already included but will confirm and add pricing if necessary.

The board did not take formal action on Chromebook fee policy at this meeting; Collins said staff will continue to provide clarity to families and review communication in enrollment materials.