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Herman-Neosho-Rubicon board approves Chromebooks pilot and adopts 2025–26 fees
Summary
The school board approved purchasing Chromebooks for incoming fifth graders, adopted a set of 2025–26 school fees including a $70 per-child charge for grades 1–8 and a $30 Chromebook insurance fee for grades 6–8, and approved a family maximum fee of $150.
The Herman-Neosho-Rubicon School District board voted to buy Chromebooks for incoming fifth-grade students and approved the district’s proposed 2025–26 school fees at its recent meeting.
Board members discussed a pilot under which fifth-grade devices would remain housed at school through eighth grade rather than being taken home. The board approved the Chromebook purchase by voice vote after a member moved to ‘‘approve the Chromebook purchases presented.’’
District staff presented the proposed fee schedule for the 2025–26 school year and the board approved it by voice vote. As presented in the packet and read at the meeting, the changes include $70 per child for grades 1–8 (raised from $50), a $50 fee for 4 k, and a family maximum of $150. Grades 5–8 will have a one-time activity and sports fee of $50. Chromebook insurance will apply to grades 6–8 at $30; the meeting record says fifth graders will have Chromebooks housed at school and thus are not charged that insurance fee.
Committee member (S4) summarized the fee changes: “So it’s $70 for first through eighth grade,” and explained the district is piloting housing devices at school to reduce device loss and damage.
Officials said families that lack a home device can make arrangements to check out a device so students can complete homework. The meeting record indicates insurance would cover one screen repair; subsequent repairs would be charged to the family and billed through the district’s student information system (Skyward).
The board did not attach additional conditions to the Chromebook pilot at the meeting; district staff said they will monitor how the in-school housing model works and may adjust policy in the future.
Votes at a glance: the Chromebook purchase and the 2025–26 fee schedule were each approved by voice vote; the transcript records multiple affirmative responses and a motion-carries announcement.
Next steps: implementation details (including Skyward billing entries and device checkout procedures) will be handled by district staff ahead of registration.
