District outlines 1-to-1 device plan, software approval rules and scaled-back hotspot program

Salt Lake City School District information technology staff told the board on March 4 that the district has largely achieved its stated goal of a student device for every student while continuing to refine device management, software approvals and connectivity supports.

At a board meeting presentation, Information Systems Director Sam Quantz said the district purchased about 10,400 devices in the initial years of its 1-to-1 plan and later bought an additional round of roughly 4,400 machines when federal ESSER funds were ending. He said the district plans a five-year device rotation and expects future purchases to be smaller as enrollment declines.

Quantz said the district standardizes on a business-class Windows laptop (HP ProBook x360 series) as its baseline device to meet instructional and testing requirements across grades. He explained the choice was driven by device…