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Parents press Worcester School Committee on 65% jump in instructional technology spending and device leases
Summary
Multiple parents and community advocates questioned a 65% increase in instructional technology spending, a proposed lease of 30,000 Chromebooks for about 24,000 students, and early‑grade iPad use, urging the committee to reallocate savings to teachers and programs that directly support student learning.
Parents and community members pressed the School Committee about a sharp increase in instructional technology spending in the FY27 materials and questioned the district’s device‑lease strategy for students.
Katherine Holmes, a Worcester parent, said she was told by the district’s director of innovation that a kindergartener without an iPad would not be able to access the curriculum. Holmes said she examined district procurement charts and asked why the district planned to lease 30,000 Chromebooks for roughly 24,000 students and why it would keep a large standby inventory instead of moving to a 2:1 student‑device ratio. She said phasing out 4,000 pre‑K and kindergarten iPads could save about $400,000 per year and that shifting device strategy could free funds for teachers and interventions.
Several speakers, including Shauna Sylvia and Nellia Mukoya (a parent at the dual‑language magnet), described the instructional technology line as rising by around 65% to roughly $4 million in the materials and cited an estimated longer‑term lease cost of about $5.2 million per year by 2030 if current plans continue. Speakers asked for evidence that higher technology spending produces better academic outcomes; they noted Worcester’s scores on statewide MCAS remain well below the state average in grades 3–8 and urged the committee to pause multi‑year leases until the district provides stronger evidence and protections for young learners and students with IEPs/504 plans.
Public commenters also raised data‑privacy and commercial concerns tied to AI and student data and cited a petition signed by more than 330 families urging removal of internet‑connected devices from pre‑K through grade 2 while protecting students who need devices for accommodations.
What happens next: speakers requested clearer procurement totals, justification for projected lease numbers, and consideration of reallocating potential device savings to instructional staff and high‑need programs. The committee did not act on procurement plans during the hearing.
