District 20 board approves $1M+ device purchase to roll out Chromebooks to high schools

The Academy District 20 Board of Education on Thursday approved a purchase to replenish student devices and begin a phased 1:1 Chromebook program for high schools, a measure district staff said will improve device performance and reduce annual device‑management costs.

IT Director (presentation) told the board the district projects an initial procurement cost of about $2.3 million for the Chromebook rollout compared with an estimated $3.0 million baseline on the existing device plan — a first‑year saving the staff estimated at roughly $600,000. ‘‘What we’re looking for with this shift… is just over $2,300,000, which gives you, as you can see, a little over $600,000 in savings,’’ the presenter said.

Staff described immediate benefits for classroom instruction: Chromebooks boot faster (reducing lost instructional time), have improved battery life, and reduce software‑maintenance burdens. They also acknowledged limitations: high‑end applications (for Project Lead The Way, Adobe, AutoCAD) will still require lab/desktop resources. The district said it will cycle high‑school devices into middle and elementary schools as part of a phased replacement and will use savings to create a zone‑based, centralized tech‑support model.

Board members asked about affordability and implementation. Director Wilburn said the change ‘‘improves capability’’ and appears fiscally sensible; Vice President Payne said the decision will help families who otherwise would shoulder device costs.

The board approved Resolution 174‑26 (purchase over $1,000,000 for device replenishment and the 1:1 district device program for FY25‑26 and FY26‑27) on a 5–0 roll call. The district plans to begin with high schools next year and to move middle and elementary phases forward in subsequent years.

Staff noted that some software and curriculum tools are optimized for Chrome and that industry norms already favor Chromebooks in K‑12 settings; they will keep specialized labs for software that requires more computing power.