Kaneland board approves $862,506 Chromebook lease after vendors cite AI-driven memory shortages
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Summary
Facing industry-wide memory and processor shortages and rising prices, Kaneland approved a four-year lease-to-own agreement up to $862,506.92 to replace roughly 2,100 Chromebooks; the increase adds about $20,000 per year to the district’s previous lease estimate.
The Kaneland CUSD 302 board on Tuesday approved a four-year lease-to-own agreement for Chromebook devices after technology staff warned of imminent hardware shortages and rapidly rising prices.
District technology staff said supply-chain shifts driven by demand for AI servers have reduced memory and processor availability for consumer devices, prompting manufacturers and resellers to limit hold times on quotes and discontinue older Chromebook models. Director of Technology (referred to in the meeting as "Mister Wolf") described a December quote the district had secured and a subsequent vendor notice that the original model was being discontinued due to memory shortages. That prompted the district to renegotiate and secure a different model and price.
The updated equipment and licensing total is $862,506.92, with an annual lease payment of roughly $215,626.73 over four years—about $82,000 higher overall than the district's earlier estimate. Technology staff said the order would address devices that have reached a four-year replacement cycle and that the replacement set covers roughly 2,100 devices slated for turnover at the end of the year.
On questions about who receives new devices, staff said devices four years or older will be replaced (generally middle-school and high-school grade cohorts), and that after this replacement cycle the district intends to return to a regular refresh rhythm. Staff also said they will pursue proposals for recycling or resale of retired devices but cautioned the residual value is likely modest.
The board voted to approve the lease-to-own agreement "in the amount up to $862,506.92," subject to final device selection and fulfillment. The motion passed by roll call, Ayes 5, Nays 0 (Mister Stalcup, Mister Mankivsky, Missus Simmons, Mister McCauley and Doctor Lawler recorded as Aye).
Technology staff emphasized that market volatility can make delayed purchases costlier or impossible: "If we don't act now, we won't get Chromebooks for next school year," staff said, noting several manufacturers were limiting quote validity to days rather than weeks.