Conroe ISD audit finds high Chromebook inventory accuracy; district readies 1,500 devices for high schools

Internal audit staff reported findings from a pilot technology inventory that covered five campuses, with a complete inventory at four of the sites and a sampling at Grand Oaks due to its size. "So as you see, the Chromebooks that should be there were pretty much all there. We had, like, a 98%, which is really great," Mr. Hayden said during the committee meeting. Audit staff said many devices that had been swapped out were still on campus inventories and that completing the reconciliations cleaned up those records. District technology staff told the committee they have approximately 1,500 Chromebooks in stock ready for distribution to high schools once campuses complete verification. Staff said they expected high schools to finish inventory verification by the end of the week and then begin assigning devices to classrooms. Audit staff and technology leaders also described a repair backlog: several thousand Chromebooks have been stored by campuses over time after a prior 1-to-1 replacement process and now need triage, repair or recycling. The district said it has three technicians in a warehouse doing repairs, has contracted additional repair work and will use device-recycling funds to sustain repairs over time. The district intends to remove broken devices from campus inventories as working units are placed in classrooms. Why this matters: Classroom access to functioning devices affects instructional continuity for secondary students and supports dual-credit and other programs. Accurate inventory and repair processes also affect budgeting for device replacement and remediation. Details and background: Audit staff said the pilot inventory covered Chromebooks, iPads, telephones, document cameras and projectors and that two-thirds of campuses have been fully re-inventoried over the summer. Staff described the historical practice of holding broken devices for 1-to-1 exchanges and said that led to the warehouse backlog when that replacement practice ended. Discussion points: Committee members asked for a deeper inventory at Grand Oaks after parents raised concerns about insufficient devices in that feeder zone. Technology leadership said Grand Oaks had been re-inventoried and that high schools were now the top priority for deployment. Staff offered to provide counts on devices sent for repair and received back. What's next: Staff expect to start shipping verified devices to campuses next week and will continue repair and triage work. Audit staff said a more comprehensive campus-by-campus roll-out of inventories and repairs will continue during the upcoming school year.