Jersey Shore Area SD unveils five-year iPad replacement plan funded from committed ESSER dollars

District technology staff on May 19 laid out a five-year plan to smooth iPad purchases and avoid large one-time replacements that would hit the district’s annual budget.

The plan, presented by Chad Crait at the Jersey Shore Area School District Board of School Directors meeting, would replace devices on a staggered schedule—each year replacing kindergarten, fifth and ninth grade—creating an expected five-year life cycle for iPads and avoiding mass refreshes of an entire building in a single year.

Crait said the district’s pandemic purchases left ‘‘gaps’’ because entire buildings were refreshed at once and students subsequently advanced grades on different schedules. "What that does is essentially that lets us paint over those years to maintain the technology age for those students," Crait told the board, explaining the proposed kindergarten/fifth/ninth rotation.

Under the plan, devices taken out of primary classroom service would be kept as spares to replace broken units during the year, repurposed for STEM or other classroom uses, or—if there is a surplus—resold with proceeds returned to the committed fund that will be used for future device purchases. Crait said the district had used ESSER funds in the past five years to buy devices and that the intent is to use the previously committed ESSER set-aside for these purchases rather than local tax dollars in the annual budget.

Board members asked about lifecycle expectations and classroom use. Crait described a five-year practical life cycle for iPads: "In our world, that's huge. So I'm comfortable with a 5 year."

Several members asked how kindergarten teachers use iPads and requested classroom-level data. Crait said staff are surveying teachers by grade to record time of use and apps; he told the board, "you're gonna get a report from me that shows amount of time, what apps they're using, and for what purpose." The board chair/ president noted the plan is meant to protect local budget dollars while using the committed ESSER funds.

Board members also discussed the disposition of replaced devices and the possibility of resale revenue being reinvested into the committed fund. Crait described options for repurposing or reselling retired units and returning funds to the committed technology account.

The board did not take a formal vote on the plan at the meeting; the presentation will inform future budget and procurement decisions.

Ending: The district will receive a written teacher-survey report on classroom device use and a more detailed implementation schedule; staff said they will bring further details to the board for approval as purchases are scheduled.