The Richland 1 School Board on May 29 approved a contract with United Data Technologies to buy new Dell laptops and allocated $2,425,000 in bond proceeds to proposed capital projects. The laptop contract was approved unanimously, 7‑0.

The administration said the laptop purchase from United Data Technologies (UDT) is estimated at $999,843.27 and includes imaging, warehousing, asset tagging, tracking software, cases and a four‑year warranty under state term contract 4400034026 for Dell products. The board also approved a separate list allocating $2,425,000 in bond proceeds for capital projects across the district.

Commissioners pressed staff for details about timing and how purchases appear across multiple reports. Commissioner Hersey asked why some capital project expenses approved in 2023 were still appearing in the April financial report; Ms. Matthews Hazel explained that project-to-date expenditures include amounts incurred and accrued over multiple years and that projects remain on reports until formally closed. Ms. Hazel: “Project to date expenditures, exactly what that means is those expenditures may have happened over a period of years and it accumulates from year to year until we close it.”

Mr. Grant told the board the laptop contract comes from projects approved in prior capital actions and that some contractual timing — for example Dell’s contracting process — delayed formal expenditure. “This is actually from the projects that were approved back in December,” he said.

Board members asked for clearer, consolidated information on district device purchases. Commissioner Moore requested a concise memo showing overall laptop counts, replacement cycles and which funding pools cover purchases: “It would be helpful at some point ... to get a memo of overall, this is how many laptops we're purchasing … just to give us an overview.” The administration agreed to provide a consolidated overview in coming weeks.

During the capital projects discussion commissioners also reviewed a motor‑pool list that includes district-owned activity buses and other vehicles, and a technology list that includes replacement security servers and camera/system switches. The administration said the bond allocation will fund replacements where funds and priorities align and that activity buses (district‑owned) are part of the motor pool list, separate from state‑owned school buses.

The board approved the laptop purchase and bond allocations and directed staff to provide clearer documentation on device counts, replacement schedules and the status of capital projects so commissioners and the public can better track expenditures.