Board hears recommendation to refresh student devices with Lenovo Duet tablets and larger Chromebooks

District 59 staff recommended a student-device refresh to the board, proposing a Lenovo Duet G2 detachable tablet for primary students and a larger 12.2-inch Chromebook with a docked stylus for upper elementary and junior-high students.

A presenter from the district innovation team said the selection process prioritized touch screens, portability, keyboard availability, stylus use and a strong primary-grade experience. The team tested Apple, Google and Lenovo options and recommended Lenovo Duet G2 tablets for K'3 and Chromebooks with stylus capability for older students. The presenter said, "This tablet comes in lighter and is compelling for primary students; the devices also give teachers a mobile document-camera capability and a wireless projection option."

Staff also proposed purchasing the same Chromebook model for teachers so they can annotate and project student work while moving around classrooms. The refresh would include protective snap-on cases and additional school-level spare units. Staff noted they are piloting devices in multiple elementary classrooms this spring to refine setup and training: first grade at John Jay, kindergarten at Lowe, second grade at Ridge and others.

Cost, logistics and timing District staff said the overall refresh price they are recommending is about $2.6 million, the same order-of-magnitude figure the district spent in its 2021 refresh. The presenter said the quoted price is favorable compared with other districts that shared reference data, and that Lenovo has stock available now but delivery could not begin until after July 1 because the purchase uses next fiscal year funds. The district also discussed insurance and replacement-cost implications: staff said per-device insurance will likely remain near prior levels but replacement parts (keyboards, styluses, broken-screen repairs) will factor into final family-insurance pricing.

Training and family controls Staff said training and coaching for teachers is integral to the rollout and that instructional coaching and the innovation team would build core practices (for example, wireless projection and mobile document-camera workflows) to magnify teacher training during the fall rollout. Staff also said the district is evaluating a family account and parental-control option (Securely) that would allow families to customize filters on the issued Chromebooks and that a family survey will be used to decide which parental-control features to offer and whether to extend device accounts to families.

Nut graf: The board was asked for approval in principle to secure pricing and vendor placement for a summer purchase; staff emphasized the devices have stronger specifications (8GB RAM, 12-hour battery, stylus support) and that the refresh is intended to increase instructional flexibility in primary and secondary classrooms while keeping total cost similar to the prior refresh.

Board discussion touched on price, device longevity and repair logistics. Board members asked about stylus loss and availability of replacement styluses, the type of protective cases and whether the district would offer the same devices to staff. Staff confirmed the recommendation includes staff devices, cases and training and said they would return with a final contract and a timeline for distribution.

Ending: Staff asked for board direction to proceed to contract negotiation and to reserve manufacturing lead time; they plan to return at the next meeting with budget specifics and an approval request for the procurement timeline and final purchase.