The Talawanda Board of Education is set to vote on two resolutions at its April 11 meeting, which could result in purchasing more than $600,000 in new technology.
If the board votes in favor of one new resolution, it will purchase 110 MacBook Airs and 350 iPads at a total cost of $216,715.
According to its website, the Talawanda School District provides Chromebooks to all students in fifth grade and higher. Students in second through fourth grade have access to Chromebooks at school, while kindergarten and first-grade students use iPads during school hours.
In addition to purchasing Apple products, the Board of Education will also vote on a resolution to put out requests for proposals (RFP) for 800 new Chromebooks, 10 Lenovo laptops and 75 Lenovo desktops. If passed, the resolution will authorize the district to seek proposals from vendors, not directly authorize the technology purchases.
While the final cost for the new technology will depend on the bids the district receives, the resolution estimates that the Chromebooks and laptops will cost roughly $294,000, while the desktops will cost $115,000. The RFP for Chromebooks will award a contract to the “lowest responsible bidder,” according to language in the proposal, but the second RFP does not state how the district will choose the vendor.
The Lenovo desktops would be used in Talawanda High School business and engineering technology classrooms, according to one proposal. The RFP for the Chromebooks and additional laptops does not state what the laptops would be used for.
Altogether, Talawanda could spend up to $626,000 on new technology, though the final costs could change based on vendors’ proposals.
The board passed a similar resolution last May, allowing the district to seek proposals for 2,000 Chromebooks for students in second through eighth grade. In that case, the school district agreed to a bid totaling $172,896, more than $100,000 less than the current estimate for new Chromebooks this year.The Board of Education will hold its public meeting at 7 p.m. April 11 in Talawanda High School’s performing arts center. The meeting will also be available on the district’s YouTube channel.
