Round Rock ISD Superintendent Steven Flores (left) and Board of Trustees President Charles Chadwell discuss digital textbooks. The Round Rock ISD board of trustees debated technology in the classroom at its meeting April 13. Chief of Teaching and Learning Robbin Gesch asked the board to approve a $7.1 million instructional materials allotment, or IMA, proposal that will shift students from hard textbooks to their digital counterparts for the 2015-16 school year. The proposal, dubbed Proclamation 2015, has been in the works since April 2014, Gesch said. IMA selection committees included teachers from all grade levels throughout the district. Gesch said in addition to the digital textbooks, 35 hardcover textbooks would be allocated to each classroom. Trustees approved the proposal unanimously. Two teachers attended the meeting to speak against the switch to digital materials. Westwood High School social studies teacher Kelly Saenz pointed out not all students have computers and access to the Internet at home. "We do school drives for pencils and paper," she said. Saenz said the district would place a large burden on some families by requiring them to buy computers for their children. "If we had the devices to give to each student, this would be a different conversation," she said. "We want to make sure we're doing the best thing by all of our students all the time." Misty Matthews, Westwood High School world history teacher, said she also hoped the district would stick with hard textbooks because not all students have access to e-books at home. "We want them to be doing their homework," she said. Trustee Terri Romere said the switch to digital is unhelpful for students without a device on which to read the materials. "Is every student going to have access?" she said. Romere said she wanted to postpone the vote and see the cost difference if the district were to instead buy hard textbooks for each student. Gesch said postponing the vote would mean the district risks not having the materials in time for the first day of school. She also said hard textbooks would cost significantly more than digital textbooks. "It was something that was discussed among the teacher committee," she said. Gesch said the committee looked specifically at the cost difference to provide U.S. history textbooks to every student. Hard textbooks for that one subject would cost the district $60,000 more than digital textbooks, she said. If the district buys hard textbooks for every subject, the cost would accumulate, and funding would be a problem, she added. The selection committee's proposal is already about $4 million more than what the district has in IMA funds for the year, she said. Gesch said the district can afford the $7.1 million by taking from next year's IMA funds because the district will not vote on instructional materials again for two years. Board Secretary Paul Tisch asked if students who have the technology to use an e-book, but prefer a hard textbook would be able to have one. Gesch said the committee set aside $380,000 in contingency funds to buy books for students who need or want a hard textbook for any subject. Board Vice President Pauline Law said most students want digital materials. "They will find a way to have access," she said. "There's a good balance here, is what I'm hearing."