Trustees reviewed the purchase of new computers and transportation software and approved the purchase of Chromebooks for a total of $1.08 million. Chief Financial Officer Liz Stewart presented the items to the board at the April 22 meeting and the reviewed items will come back for board approval next month.
What to know
The district identified a need for new Chromebooks in sixth-, seventh- and ninth grades for the start of the 2025-26 school year. Officials settled on Acer for the purchase option and are looking to purchase 1,700 devices at a total cost of $785,400, Stewart said.
The devices have been built to allow for in-house repairs and include a faster processor and a higher resolution screen. Cases have not yet been released for this model but will be available in the future for between $35 to $50 each. Officials budgeted for $50 per case, which is included in the total cost figure, according to district documents. The purchase will use 2024 bond funds.
The district is also looking to purchase computers to refresh the engineering lab and the audiovisual lab at Argyle High School. The cost of the computers will not exceed $125,000 and is allocated in the 2024-25 budget, Stewart said.
More details
The district’s current transportation software lacks several key features that are essential for modern school transportation operations, Director of Operations Tommy Ledford said. These include on-board tablets with student information for drivers, turn-by-turn navigation, a parent communication portal, bus tracking, digital roster and electronic pre-trip inspection tools.
Officials engaged with 14 different software providers, participated in seven product demonstrations and conducted a pilot program on one of the buses, Ledford said. No single system met all of the district’s needs, so officials elected to use a combination of two systems, Smart-Tag and TransACT, which will provide comprehensive functionality, he said.
These systems will also function with the plan for secondary students to begin wearing identification badges for the 25-26 school year. The badges will allow the integration of transportation, identification and student nutrition information, Ledford said.
The tablets on each bus will be able to ensure students are using the correct badges. The total cost for the new software will be around $170,843 and is also allocated in the 2024-25 budget.
Going forward
Trustees approved the Chromebook purchase, but the computer lab refreshes and the transportation software will be brought back for approval in May, Stewart said.
