Board approves $762,000 technology replacement plan; district cites end‑of‑life Windows 10 and aging iPads

The Emporia Board of Education unanimously approved a $761,930.49 technology replacement plan on Wednesday to address end‑of‑life devices and continue device life‑cycle rotations across the district.

Pam Stranathand, assistant superintendent of business operations, and Paul Beadles, director of information technology, presented the proposal. Beadles said the purchase addresses several priorities: replacing Windows 10 workstations that will lose security updates after October 2025; refreshing older iPads; continuing student and staff device rotations; and adding or replacing displays and docking equipment.

"Windows 10 no longer will receive security updates after October 2025," Beadles said, noting the district is targeting some lab replacements (for example, CAD and Mastercam labs) with a mix of virtualization and new laptops so software can run reliably.

Beadles also noted about 175–180 sixth‑generation iPads at one elementary building are at or near end of support and were included in the larger purchase. He said the district aims to replace devices before they fail to limit classroom disruption.

Stranathand told the board vendors reported a roughly 6 percent price increase for some high‑school student laptops between March and the latest quotes; she urged prompt purchase to avoid further increases. "The sooner we make this purchase, the better for us," she said.

The package included protective cases for middle‑school student devices to reduce classroom disruption, and licensing and management costs were discussed as recurring annual needs associated with device counts. Total budget request across funds was reported as $761,930.49.

Board members thanked staff for the thorough presentation and approved the motion to purchase the equipment as submitted; the vote was 7‑0.

The approved items will be procured over the summer with implementation led by the district IT department and business office.