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School board approves 800 MacBook Airs and 600 Apple TVs via four-year lease
Summary
The ISD 719 school board voted 7-0 to approve a four‑year, 0% financing lease for 800 MacBook Airs and 600 Apple TVs; staff said the package is cheaper per workstation than comparable desktops and will use a USB‑C hub to retain legacy peripherals.
School Board Chair White and the ISD 719 School Board approved a lease for 800 MacBook Air laptops and 600 Apple TVs on a four‑year, 0% financing package after a staff presentation and questions from directors. The motion passed by roll call, 7‑0.
District technology staff outlined the package and compared it with Windows desktop options. The district’s technology director described the proposal as “a 4 year Apple lease at 0% finance for 4 years.” He told the board the district obtained quotes on comparable HP desktops from a state contract and that the MacBook Airs were priced about $271 less per unit than the desktop alternative.
The technology director said the Apple TVs would not replace classroom monitors but would be installed as devices to receive AirPlay from the MacBook Airs and link to classroom projection systems. He said the plan calls for Apple TVs in instructional spaces and “additional backups as well.” The director also described a USB‑C hub selected as a docking solution to support legacy peripherals — external monitors, larger keyboards, 10‑key units, mice and Ethernet — and said that hub is not included in the lease price and would be purchased out of the technology department’s hardware account code.
Board members asked whether the district had compared Apple and Windows pricing and how the 600 Apple TVs relate to the number of classrooms and conference rooms. Director Bullion asked about cost comparisons, and the technology director replied they had compared an M4 MacBook Air quote with an HP Z‑series desktop quoted through a preferred vendor on a state contract.
The district noted legacy MacBook devices still subject to an earlier Providence Capital lease and remarketing agreement; when replaced, the previous lease requires return of those units to Providence Capital for remarketing and the district receives a portion of the remarketing value back to the district.
After questions, Director Bullion moved to accept the resolution authorizing the lease purchase and Director Frantz seconded. Chair White called the roll: Director Olstead, aye; Director Johnson, aye; Director Atkinson, aye; Director Boyan, aye; Director France, aye; Director Mason, aye; Director Bullion, aye. Chair White announced, “Now, the motion carries 7 0.”
The lease will proceed under the terms presented; the USB‑C hub and any additional docking hardware were described as district hardware purchases outside the lease and will be charged to the technology hardware account.
