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Committee advances Chromebook, web‑filter and tablet purchases amid price jumps
Summary
The fiscal committee agreed to forward multiple technology procurements — Securly web filtering, Chromebook replacements (750 units) and library tablets — to the full board; staff noted significant price increases (Chromebook costs up ~46%) and recommended accepting vendor quotes that guarantee delivery.
District technology staff reviewed a set of planned purchases and told the fiscal committee they would recommend placing the items on the full school board agenda for Monday.
The committee discussed a Securly web‑filtering renewal with a first‑year payment of about $23,332; staff said subscriptions for many district products have increased 20–30% since the prior contract. "It's doing what it's intended to do," a technology staff member said of Securly.
On devices, staff presented three quotes to replace Chromebooks as part of the district's rotation plan. Technology leaders said Chromebook prices had risen sharply (they cited about a 46% year‑over‑year increase for some models) and recommended accepting the vendor quote that guaranteed delivery. Staff proposed buying 750 Chromebooks while retiring roughly 375 older units; they said guaranteed delivery was a deciding factor for approving the bid.
The committee also reviewed library tablet purchases to replace sunsetting iPads in the Google environment and recommended accepting the lowest responsive bid for the tablets. Staff argued tablets would be easier to manage within the district's Google Workspace than iPads and that Chromebooks remain the primary classroom production device.
The committee gave staff direction to put the Securly contract, Chromebook purchase, AVID contract and tablet bid on the Monday full board agenda for formal approval. Staff also flagged an unusual Amazon purchase (a copy of The 57 Bus) for follow up and committed to report findings to Ed Services.
No final vendor contracts were executed at the committee meeting; action will proceed at the full board meeting.
