EPIC board approves purchase of 17,000 Chromebooks, OKs short-term loan to finance them

The Community Strategies Incorporated board, which oversees EPIC One-on-One Charter School, voted April 9 to authorize purchase of 17,000 Acer Chromebooks totaling $4,579,290 and to enter a nine‑month financing agreement with Regent Bank to pay for the devices.

The Chromebook purchase is through national reseller CDW. Presenting the proposal, Mr. Kimball told the board the district selected Acer after comparing Dell, Lenovo and HP and that Acer offered the best mix of price and service, including an inventory of repair parts and reimbursement for repairs the district performs in-house.

The board was given a price breakdown: $269 per device overall (the transcript identifies the device cost at $233, plus a $30 Chromebook license and a $6 “white glove” setup service from CDW that includes asset tagging and initial device checks). Janice Swinton, deputy superintendent of finance, said the devices will be funded from the district’s learning fund and that EPIC will reintroduce a student device fee; when asked how much would be charged to families, a staff member answered, “Two hundred fifty dollars.”

To preserve cash flow while ordering replacements ahead of the school year, the board approved a nine‑month loan with Regent Bank described in the meeting as “prime plus a half” with interest‑only payments until January; staff said there is no prepayment penalty. Denise (staff member) told the board the loan would let the district pay for the devices in full in January if necessary and avoid drawing from the current year’s operating cash.

Board members voted by roll call. For the Chromebook purchase the recorded yes votes were Miss Berry, Miss Casper, Miss Myers and Mr. Vellum; Mr. Hammons was absent. The same four members voted to approve the financing agreement.

The technology lead said the district has not bought Chromebooks since the ECF era more than three years ago and that roughly 30,000 devices remain in the field, many nearing the end of their useful life. Staff also said the district plans to create student internships to do some in‑house repairs.

The board approved both motions in the same meeting during the regular session.

Costs and funding details reported to the board: total purchase $4,579,290; per‑device components — $233 device, $30 license, $6 white‑glove service — and planned student device fee approximately $250. The loan structure was summarized as nine months, interest only until January, prime + 0.5 interest, with no prepayment penalty.

The purchases are scheduled so devices will be available before the start of the next school year.