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Sioux City board approves purchase of 3,000 student laptops over two fiscal years after debate
Summary
Directors voted 6-1 to approve a two-year device purchase to lock current prices: 1,500 ASUS student laptops for fiscal 2026 and 1,500 for fiscal 2027 (total 3,000) plus 125 staff laptops; one board member objected that the timing conflicted with a four-year lifecycle plan.
The Sioux City Community School District board approved a multi-year device purchase package March 9 that will buy 3,000 student laptops over two fiscal years and 125 staff laptops to refresh classroom technology and lock an advantageous supplier price.
The purchase package includes 1,500 ASUS BR1104C student laptops at $372 each (for $558,000) for fiscal year 2026 and an identical order for fiscal year 2027 (to lock the price). The board also approved 125 Dell Pro 14 staff laptops at $715 each ($89,375). Administrators said the two-year ordering strategy secures a lower per-unit price and allows the district to prep and stage devices for the next school year.
One director pressed administrators on lifecycle accounting and whether buying 3,000 devices within a 12-month window aligns with a standard four-year replacement rotation. "A four-year rotation should be four years, not 24 months," the director said, noting the district had purchased 1,500 devices in the prior year and that approving both orders would increase devices bought in the past 12 months.
Finance and facilities committee members explained the reasoning: purchasing now locks a favorable price and allows the district to distribute devices in stages while holding inventory for preparation. Administrators said the middle-school cycle is out of sync because ESSER funds had previously covered a middle-school purchase.
After discussion, the board approved the device purchases by a 6-1 vote. The board directed administration to share more lifecycle and inventory data to clarify future rotation timing.
The vote follows the Finance Committee's earlier presentation of facilities-finance figures; the committee had described a larger facilities funding gap but said that device purchases were within planned life-cycle spending.
