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Committee approves purchase plans to replace Chromebooks and upgrade access control; staff to return with details
Summary
Cheltenham SD staff proposed buying 1,200 Chromebooks through CDW for about $387,000 to beat a July price increase (estimated $50,000 savings) and described a $62,000 licensing fee plus roughly $25,000 in conversion costs to consolidate building access-control systems; the committee moved the items forward for board consideration.
During the April 7 finance committee meeting, administration recommended moving forward with a near-term purchase of 1,200 Chromebooks via a federal CDW contract at an estimated total cost of $387,000 to beat an anticipated price increase in July.
Staff estimated the timing would save approximately $50,000 versus waiting until July 1. Administration also presented an access-control upgrade that carries a one-time licensing cost of about $62,000 and a conversion cost of about $25,000 to migrate remaining buildings to a single system with centralized response capability. Administration identified the access-control expense as a capital project expense and said funds currently exist in the facilities capital budget to cover it.
Board members asked where the 1,200 Chromebooks would be deployed and confirmed the district is maintaining a one-to-one device program with device rotation and an expected four-year lifecycle; Chromebooks are primarily kept on carts at elementary levels rather than sent home. Staff said typical replacement is about 1,000 devices per year in the refresh cycle and that previous bulk purchases were timed to avoid price increases.
The committee moved the items and closed the meeting; administration will provide the full procurement details and funding-source documentation to the board for final approval.
