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High-school media technician proposes selling graduated students’ Chromebooks to graduates
Summary
A high-school media technician told the Ames school board that many returned Chromebooks remain supported and could be sold to graduating seniors for a modest fee, proposing a district-managed process to handle transfers.
James Miller, the media technician in the Ames Community School District high school library, suggested the district offer graduating seniors the option to purchase their assigned Chromebooks rather than selling devices in bulk.
"I currently work as the media tech in the high school library. I handle all of our student Chromebooks, and I'd like to share a suggestion that could benefit both our graduating seniors and the district," Miller told the board during the public forum. He said he has several boxes of devices from the class of 2025 and that a device he checked in Google Admin still receives security updates through 2029.
Miller proposed that graduates be allowed to buy their district-assigned Chromebooks for about $50. He suggested a district-managed process with a checkout station in the media center, verification from counselors or the registrar that fees are paid and student obligations cleared, and removal of asset tags after payment.
Miller said the approach would give students a reliable device after graduation and would avoid selling the machines in bulk on external auction platforms. He described the idea as relatively simple to implement but did not offer a formal proposal, memo, or draft policy for board consideration.
Board members did not debate or vote on the suggestion during the meeting; it was presented during public forum for board consideration.
