Bellbrook-Sugarcreek officials seek up to $1.5 million to replace 3,320 Chromebooks, add $40 student fee

Board members on Thursday heard a technology presentation and voted later in the meeting to reallocate funds that will help pay for a planned full replacement of the district's Chromebook fleet.

Evan Hughes, introduced to the board as the presenter, said the district's current Chromebooks were bought with a federal grant during the COVID-era purchase cycle and are now showing declining battery life, physical wear and reliability problems. Hughes said roughly 3,320 devices are affected and that Google’s automatic-update lifecycle is near its end for many of the machines, which limits future security and quality updates. Administration requested up to $1,500,000 to replace the devices districtwide.

The request would preserve one-to-one student access and reduce in-class interruptions caused by device or Wi‑Fi issues, Hughes said. He added that new devices would allow the district to return to a planned four- to five-year replacement cycle and reduce technician downtime related to repairs.

To help offset ongoing repair costs, administration proposed a $40 annual student technology fee for grades 5–12. The board discussed the fee and the replacement timing: several members said they hoped to stretch devices to five years, but Hughes and staff said wear and end-of-update timelines meant an earlier replacement was prudent for reliability and security.

Board members also asked whether the district could recoup value from retired devices. Hughes said the district is negotiating with recyclers; typical recycler payments are modest (roughly $5–$10 per device), though staff said they would explore limited local sales of higher-quality retired units as an option.

The treasurer later explained the appropriation request process: the administration sought a $1,300,000 increase in permanent appropriations with about $1,000,000 planned for Chromebooks and $300,000 for athletics; some of that Chromebook funding will be covered by reallocating underspent HVAC and bus purchase funds. The board approved the appropriation adjustments later in the meeting by unanimous roll call.

Hughes and board members emphasized the district will limit which artificial-intelligence tools run on school Chromebooks; staff said the district plans to allow the Gemini tool while blocking other AI tools on managed devices and will continue training teachers on assignment design and prewriting/revision workflows to guard against misuse.

The board included the Chromebook fee for grades 5–12 in the approved 2026–27 student fee schedule. Next steps include final procurement planning and vendor selection; no vendor names or delivery schedule were provided at the meeting.