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USD 443 board approves $90,000 for Chromebook cases, $26,000 UPS replacements and BenQ classroom displays
Summary
At its July 14 meeting the Dodge City USD 443 Board approved three technology- and facilities-related purchases: protective cases for 2,500 high‑school Chromebooks, replacement uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) for the server room and a district purchase of BenQ interactive displays. Votes were unanimous.
Dodge City — The Dodge City USD 443 Board of Education on July 14 approved three district equipment purchases intended to protect devices and reduce classroom and server downtime.
The board voted 6-0 to buy protective cases for 2,500 Dodge City High School Chromebooks at a total cost of $90,000. Victor (staff member), who presented the request, said the cases “are just another sense of insurance” to protect devices from drops and allow serial numbers to remain visible. He told the board the cases are expected to arrive around August and staff will coordinate with the high school to put cases on devices prior to heavy use.
The board also approved replacing four failed UPS (battery backup) units that support the district server room. Victor said four of the district’s eight older units “completely stopped working” and staff sourced four replacements from CDW under a state contract for a total of $26,000; the motion passed 6-0. He described the units’ purpose as providing enough time to shut down systems properly or bridge to generator power during outages.
Finally, the board approved purchase of BenQ interactive displays to replace aging projector-based boards. Patrick Scheck, associate superintendent of business and operations, confirmed the BenQ panels are on a state contract and said the district has been replacing older units over a three‑year cycle. When asked about expected lifespan, Scheck said about five years, citing both wear and technological change; the motion to approve the BenQ purchase passed 6-0.
Why it matters: the purchases are aimed at reducing repairs and downtime for student devices and classroom instruction as the new school year begins. The Chromebook case order covers all high‑school devices; UPS replacements are intended to protect central servers; and interactive displays are part of a multi‑year replacement cycle.
Next steps: staff will receive and deploy the cases (Victor said deployment will likely occur after classes begin), install UPS units in the server room and schedule BenQ installations across classrooms per the district’s planned rollout schedule.
