District reports 1-to-1 device rollout, device ratios and breakage; technology leaders outline budget strategy

The district’s technology director, Brian Bloomer, presented an overview of the 1-to-1 device program and related bond-funded technology investments.

Key points from the presentation and Q&A: - Device standards and ratios: Chromebooks are issued 1-to-1 for grades 2–12; kindergarten and first grade currently have 10 devices per homeroom (the director said this has proven insufficient in places and is under review); elementary libraries receive a 15-Chromebook cart per site; pre-K uses iPads. - Lifecycle and warranties: Chromebooks are on a 5-year lifecycle; the district purchases a 4-year unlimited accidental-damage protection (ADP) plan from the vendor and pays for the final year out of pocket if devices are retained beyond warranty. iPads use a 6-year lifecycle (4-year warranty + 2 years out of pocket) and ruggedized cases are used. - Hotspots and equity targeting: The district has 210 Wi‑Fi hotspots that can be provisioned on different networks (Verizon/T‑Mobile). Technology staff use enrollment and household questions to identify high-need students for hotspot issuance. - Software and management: The district uses Incident IQ for ticketing and asset inventory, GoGuardian for classroom management and filtered access, and Canvas as the learning-management system at secondary sites. - Breakage and costs: Breakage for the year was about 22% districtwide (junior-high grades were outliers with higher breakage). Bloomer cited tariffs and global supply pressures that have increased device prices 10–25% and described a bond-funded budget that has “peaks and valleys” year-to-year. He described a vendor lease option (with a later buyout) that can smooth short-term cash needs and align purchases to later bond-year capacity. He said the 10-year bond scope is sufficient overall but year-to-year budgeting needs normalization. - Network and infrastructure: A separate network component (VERO) required a lengthy permitting process; trenching was planned and an estimated turn-on date was given as October 1 (presenters advised padding that timeline by a few months).

Board members asked about fidelity of instructional use (how often devices and curriculum are used at home) and about donated PTO devices; Bloomer said the district will conduct an inventory audit to identify funding sources on donated devices and that district policy (Policy CDC) treats donations as district property and may require reallocation for equity.

Bloomer said the district expects the 1-to-1 program and device refresh plan to be sustainable across the bond’s 10-year support if the board and administration maintain the adopted standards and adapt to year-to-year funding swings.