Board OKs $2.94M middle school device refresh for 4,094 devices

Mister Benson presented a request to purchase equipment and services for a middle school computer refresh covering teacher desktops, classroom lab PCs, student Chromebooks, a limited number of laptops and device carts, plus licensing and a weekly repair service.

The presenter said the total cost is $2,935,560.10 for 4,094 devices and related services, funded from district eSplos money. He explained the decision to move to larger 14-inch student devices to reduce student difficulty when using split screens and to provide enough devices to cover class-size variation; the district will retain some older devices for parts and sell others as a separate transaction.

"The amount is $2,935,560.10," the presenter said, and confirmed the purchase covers more than 4,000 devices (he cited 4,094). He also said device prices have risen significantly since 2022 — noting a roughly 77% increase for some items — and that the vendor (Dell) would guarantee pricing for only 14 days, creating urgency for approval.

Board members asked about device lifespan (presenter said roughly four years), resale credit from returned devices (the district sold devices previously and returned approximately $156,703 to the general fund after a high-school refresh), and compatibility with existing carts. The presenter said the new 14-inch devices will fit several existing carts and that repair service pickups occur weekly.

A motion to approve the refresh was moved by Mister Jackson and seconded by Miss Lee; the board voted unanimously to approve the purchase.

The district will proceed to finalize the procurement and coordinate device deployment ahead of the 20xx–20xx school year (dates in the record were phrased as "20 sixth, 20 seventh school year" and should be confirmed with district scheduling).