Port Jervis official outlines purchases using remaining Smart Schools funds, board alerted to contract timing

At the Dec. 16 board meeting, Tim, the assistant superintendent for business, briefed members on remaining Smart Schools Bond Act funds and proposed immediate purchases of student devices.

Tim said the district had an unspent balance from earlier Smart Schools proposals. He cited $227,950 as the unallocated remaining amount and later referred to "that 267,000" available to spend now. The numbers were not reconciled at the meeting.

Tim proposed using the available funds to buy 180 iPads and cases for fourth grade and 255 Chromebooks with cases and headphones for secondary students, describing those purchases as a practical use of the remaining money. "This is low hanging fruit and we're grabbing it," he said.

Tim also said engineers are involved in paperwork for other, larger projects tied to the Smart Schools program and that resolving those items will take additional time. The board did not take a final funding vote on the larger projects at the meeting; Tim said a special meeting may be called next week if contracts for the solar field on the Vicaretti property are finalized.

The board discussed the device lifecycle differences: presenters noted Chromebooks are harder to upgrade and generally have lower resale value than iPads, which can partially offset higher initial costs through resale later.

The board will publish the Smart Schools spending plan on the district website and said it will continue to update members as paperwork with state officials proceeds.