District technology director outlines high‑school Chromebook refresh with stylus support
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Summary
Technology director proposed replacing aging high‑school Chromebooks with a more powerful model (8GB RAM, Gorilla Glass, stylus support); staff said about $600,000 is budgeted and discussed battery replacement as an interim option.
Kevin Eldridge, Dunlap’s technology director, presented a Chromebook refresh plan for the high school, recommending newer devices with 8 GB of memory, Gorilla Glass screens and optional styluses. Eldridge said the currently deployed Dell 3100 devices (purchased in fiscal 2022) are reaching the end of their warranty and that survey responses showed strong student and teacher interest in stylus capability.
Eldridge said the district can charge for lost styluses and assign them through teachers. He also explained the district could replace batteries on older devices as a stopgap, but that new devices offer materially improved performance (he estimated the new model is roughly 70% faster than the older unit). The board asked about lease vs. purchase; Eldridge said most districts purchase devices outright for this age range.
Staff noted the refresh is budgeted (approximately $600,000 was referenced in the packet), and discussed disposal/resale options for retired devices and the device‑management timeline (auto‑update expiration was mentioned—some older models can be updated through 2029). The board asked staff to confirm final pricing and deployment timing to have devices in place before next school year.
What’s next: staff will return with final device counts and firm quotes for surface approval at the March meeting if necessary.