Stafford outlines Chromebook collection, replacement and parent monitoring plan amid rising repair costs
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Summary
Technology staff proposed end‑of‑year collection of high‑school Chromebooks, year‑long checkouts for middle/high students and cart‑based storage at elementary schools, and said an estimated $2.2 million is needed to replace the district’s oldest middle‑school devices.
Staff described an overhaul of the district’s Chromebook program and a near‑term replacement plan for the oldest devices. Technology staff said they will collect all high‑school Chromebooks this summer for inventory, repairs and cleaning, increase single‑device checkouts for middle and high school students (devices checked out for the year), and keep elementary devices in carts (one cart per two kindergarten/first‑grade classrooms; 1:1 in 2–5 but stored in carts overnight).
Staff reported the division spends roughly $187,000 annually on Chromebook repairs and that central technicians had logged about 11,772 hours on device repairs and roughly 1,116 hours for transport. Technology staff said collecting devices at the end of the year improves inventory verification and reduces loss and breakage, and that pilot collection at some schools cut repair rates by about half.
For FY26, staff said replacing the oldest middle‑school devices would cost about $2.2 million; staff also described a $1‑grade‑per‑year high‑school replacement cadence funded from a mix of operating, grant and one‑time capital funds. Options under study include leasing versus purchasing devices; staff said leasing can reduce in‑house repair load because vendors supply repairs and loaners but requires a detailed cost analysis comparing long‑term repair and replacement costs. Staff also said they plan to roll out a parent‑facing monitoring tool (LightSpeed) so families can receive reports about device usage and sites visited and to provide schools tools to enforce device‑use expectations.
Board members raised concerns about screen time, equity and the instructional role of technology at elementary grades. Staff proposed a phased approach (pilot middle‑school collection, parent enrollment in monitoring tools, clearer “respect the tech” expectations and updated contract/acknowledgment language for parents) and offered to return with a timeline and communications plan before distributing a multi‑million‑dollar replacement purchase.