Board previewed lease to refresh student devices and several labs; administration to place item on consent agenda

Administration presented a technology-lease proposal on April 14 to fund a refresh of student 1:1 devices and four high-school labs (music, video/photo editing, aviation and middle‑school tech ed). The proposal would continue the district’s multi-year refresh cycle (grades 1, 5 and 9), spread payments over four years and include insurance and a modest guaranteed buyback feature.

Mr. McGraw summarized programmatic benefits and logistics, saying the lease supports sustaining a multi‑year replacement cycle and that Apple’s financing currently offered a 0% APR. He noted the district’s insurance plan for devices covers two breaks per device per year and that cases from a partner vendor include three‑year guarantees, which staff said helps limit replacement costs.

"The equipment contained in this lease is to support several computer labs and our student 1 to 1 devices," Mr. McGraw said, stressing the lease’s role in maintaining curricular technology. He added that the $172,000 initial payment is included in this year’s budget and that the subsequent payments would occur in August; the structure was presented as a way to stabilize future budgets and position the district for subsequent lease cycles.

Board members asked about device damage rates, cycle length (typical four-year plans), and staff-device refreshes; Mr. McGraw said district policy and insurance mitigate intentional or negligent loss and noted the current proposal is roughly $300,000 less than the prior year because staff refreshes were deferred.

The administration recommended placing the lease on the consent agenda for approval at the next regular meeting.