Committee reviews September repair data; considers power-bank pilot to address charging problems

Technology staff reported aggregated repair data for September and told the committee that cracked laptop screens—particularly on 2‑in‑1 hinge models—were the most common repair issue districtwide. "The laptop screen crack is clearly the biggest issue that we face," the Chair said while reviewing repair trends. Mr. Shohan said student handling (devices not secured in laptop cases) and hinge designs contributed to screen failures.

Committee members pressed on charging infrastructure in classrooms. Mr. Shohan said embedding outlets in concrete floors has caused failures when wax builds up in floor connections, and that wall‑to‑furniture rail solutions have been difficult to retrofit in flexible classroom layouts. He cited unit prices for small charging stations ("the little 6 charging stations run about $500") and noted those costs multiply across nearly 1,800 classroom areas.

As a lower‑cost alternative, Mr. Shohan recommended piloting multi‑port power banks that can provide two to two and a half laptop charges; he argued those could be used as spares during testing windows so students could continue on their own device without interruption. "We're starting to test out a few in a couple of pilots and then possibly look at going to something more district wide in a year or so," he said.

The committee asked the Technology Department to include repair notes in monthly reports and return to the next meeting with updated repair metrics. Members also suggested the department highlight pilot programs in future meetings so the community can see proof-of-concept demonstrations for items such as power banks or AI classroom pilots.

Chair closed the item without taking a formal vote on procurement, instructing staff to refine pilot plans and cost estimates for future committee consideration.