Mifflin County SD narrows device inventory, shares second-grade laptops and approves surplus auction

Mifflin County School District trustees approved the sale of older district laptops and adopted a districtwide plan to reduce and reassign student devices after technology staff presented multi‑year usage and cost data.

Technology staff told the board that many devices purchased during the ESSER spending surge are underused or approaching end of life. The district concluded that some classroom carts held more devices than actual class sizes and that, across second‑grade classrooms, the average daily use per device was about 22–28 minutes. Based on that usage, the technology team proposed sharing laptop sets between two second‑grade classrooms rather than assigning a dedicated cart to each classroom.

Why it matters: The district says the changes reduce recurring replacement costs and better match devices to daily instruction. Technology staff reported that, without the consolidation measures adopted over recent years, the district’s forecasted device refresh this summer would have required about $901,000 more in spending. Board members were told the district previously used ESSER funds for a large technology purchase during the pandemic period and subsequently has been trimming excess inventory and reallocating devices.

Key details and decisions

- Sale of surplus equipment: The board approved a motion to sell selected surplus items, including a 1996 New Holland skid steer, a 2011 Lenovo laptop and other devices via the Munisibid online auction; unsold items may be relisted, recycled or scrapped. The motion was moved and seconded during the meeting and was approved by roll call.

- Second grade: For the 2024–25 school year the district will start the year with shared laptop sets between two second‑grade classrooms at most schools rather than a dedicated 27‑unit cart per room. Staff said that the typical second‑grade device was used roughly 25 minutes per school day and that teachers piloting new online math material did not show materially higher device usage in the pilot data.

- Grades 3–9: The district will move to an assigned‑device model where each student in grades 3–5 and 6–9 receives an assigned laptop that is housed in the student’s homeroom (3–5) or in the student’s seventh‑period classroom (6–9). Students will carry assigned laptops between classes during the day and return them to the assigned cart and plug them in at the end of the day for charging.

- High school: No change to the high‑school approach; the current practice of assigned devices and students’ responsibility for them remains in place, the board was told.

Staff rationale and logistics

District staff said they examined per‑device login and usage logs (including timestamps and minutes used) for every device in the district and reallocated devices that showed low or no activity. Staff also said chargers and loaner inventories had driven costs: the district reported replacing roughly $28,000 worth of chargers in a single summer and that loaner devices created administrative burdens when students did not return them or returned uncharged devices.

To reduce end‑of‑day congestion, the district will use seventh‑period distribution in secondary schools: students pick up their assigned device from their seventh‑period classroom each morning and return it there at the end of the day. Buildings will keep spares for repairs and transient needs.

Budget and lifecycle

Staff said many older laptops are still functional but nearing the district’s defined end of life (roughly a four‑year refresh cycle for laptops). The district intends to auction older, repair‑heavy devices and keep desktop labs, chargers and spares in buildings to preserve device availability. District staff estimated the consolidation work over recent years avoided approximately $901,000 in immediate refresh costs.

Board reaction and communication concerns

Board members praised the data‑driven approach while some said communication could have been clearer for principals and classroom teachers. A board member asked the administration to monitor second grade device usage closely and to adjust if classrooms need more device time than current logs indicate. Several board members requested a follow‑up report after the first full grading period under the new distribution plan.

Provenance (transcript excerpts)

"So I was approached the other night by a teacher who said that they were told that the board voted to take out computers from all second grade classrooms..." (district board meeting discussion introducing device/surplus item)

"When they went through all of that information, what they came back with is for the 24‑25 school year, these second grade classrooms on average were used for 22 between 22 and 28 minutes a day." (technology staff summarizing usage data)

Ending

The board approved the surplus sale and the device redistribution plan and asked staff to return with monitoring data and any adjustments after implementation. The district said it will continue to reassess device counts annually and to maintain spares and computer labs to meet testing and instructional needs.