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School board considers switching Chromebook protection from private insurer to district-run plan
Summary
After staff reported roughly $85,737 in device damage and chargers for 2024–25, the board discussed moving from third‑party insurance to an in‑house tech fee covering repairs and unreturned devices, with members asking staff for fee options and more school-level data before a formal vote next month.
Grant, the district staff who presented the follow-up on device protection, told the Henderson County Board of Public Education that recorded Chromebook damage and charger costs for 2024–25 totaled $85,737 and that about 850 students currently participate in optional third‑party insurance. He said the district has been tracking every repair and work order in an internal system and that switching to a district-run plan could reduce administrative friction and speed repairs.
"If we were to do a tech fee...that would come to a $15 figure per student per year to cover just that snapshot of that one year's damage," Grant said, explaining his preliminary math and the assumptions behind it. He recommended continuing to invoice families for unreturned devices and for instances of intentional or overt negligence.
Board members probed details about the data and implementation. One member asked how the $85,737 figure was compiled and whether insurance payouts and denied claims were reflected; Grant said the system flags claims processed through the insurer and that all repair work orders are entered. Members also noted that damage is concentrated in middle and high school, where devices are assigned to students rather than kept in classroom carts, and asked for a breakdown by school and grade.
Several board members voiced support for starting with a lower pilot fee and monitoring results; suggestions included a $10 starting fee with the option to adjust later or a rolling review at year end. The superintendent and staff agreed to prepare comparative scenarios (examples of current school fees, projected revenue at $10 vs. $15, and proposals for means‑tested exceptions or per‑family caps) and bring a formal recommendation back to the board at the next meeting.
No formal motion was taken on the device protection plan at this meeting; the board consensus was to receive more data and return for action. The discussion distinguished operational decisions (how repairs and invoicing would be managed by schools) from policy choices (whether to adopt a district fee and the fee level).
