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Controlling Board defers Department of Youth Services VR-headset purchase after members ask for evaluation plan and clarify funding
Summary
The State Controlling Board deferred item 44, a Department of Youth Services request tied to a Title I federal grant to support a pilot using virtual-reality headsets for STEM education, after members asked for clearer information on the number of devices, evaluation plans and permissible uses under the grant.
The State Controlling Board on April 7 deferred item 44, a Department of Youth Services request tied to federal Title I funding for a pilot that would provide virtual-reality headsets for education at department facilities.
Steve Horenko, the agency procurement officer, told the board the funding is from a Title I federal grant and described the pilot as "based on STEM education" that could later be expanded to vocational education. Horenko said the allocation covers equipment and training and answered questions about whether the funding is specifically earmarked for VR headsets.
Representative Stewart asked how many headsets the agency planned to buy and how many students would use them. Horenko initially said the request involved "approximately ... 60 headsets for each one of our facilities." Later in the same exchange Horenko described the distribution as "30 sets of 4. So 1 for each of our facilities and 1 for our central office to work and train." The figures in the transcript are inconsistent; the department agreed to return with clarified numbers and an evaluation plan.
Board members expressed interest in how the department would evaluate outcomes for the pilot and whether the department had concerns about students becoming conditioned to learn primarily through headsets rather than other instructional methods. Senator Ingram asked the department to bring back a plan explaining how it would evaluate use and outcomes for the pilot; the department agreed.
For the record, item 44 was deferred for a future meeting and will return after follow-up with members.
Ending: The department will return with clarified device counts, how the Title I funds may be used beyond headsets, and a plan for evaluating the pilot's educational outcomes before the board considers the item again.
