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Board approves Chromebook purchase after teachers warn of high damage and classroom disruption
Summary
Trustees approved a Dell Chromebook purchase and discussed device lifecycle, loss rates and classroom management concerns after a teacher said students routinely damage devices and recommended returning to computer labs or educator‑managed sets.
Trustees approved a consent‑agenda purchase of Dell Chromebooks amid an extended discussion about device lifecycle, distribution and loss. Board members asked staff for details on replacement cycles, loss rates and whether devices issued to students were routinely recycled or replaced.
District staff and the director of technology (Joe) told the board that typical device lifespan is "somewhere in the three to four year range" and that loss rates have driven recurring acquisitions. Staff said Title I families are provided devices to avoid daily transport and that hotspots have fluctuated in demand.
In public comment Grace Miller, a middle school teacher, urged the board to consider classroom management impacts: "loss is an interesting word for what I witness in the classroom which is a blatant disruption and ... destruction of school property" and recommended a return to teacher‑managed computer labs or classroom sets rather than universal individual issuance.
Trustees asked staff to bring a deeper technology session with month‑by‑month loss and replacement data. The motion to approve item 4A1 passed by voice vote.
