The Wabash Community Unit School District #348 Board of Education has approved the purchase of 115 new Chromebooks at a cost of just over 53-thousand dollars.
The board met in special session Tuesday morning at the district office.
Superintendent Dr. Chuck Bleyer said the district needs to replenish a full grade-level set of Chromebooks. The Building and Grounds Committee reviewed the proposal in detail, with Lenovo selected as the preferred device.
Bleyer said the new Chromebooks will initially be assigned to third-grade students and will remain with those same students as they progress through junior high, creating roughly a five-year replacement cycle.
The district is purchasing 115 devices, slightly more than the number of students currently in the class, to allow for attrition and other needs. The Chromebooks will also include five-year warranties.
Bleyer said assigning a specific Chromebook to each student will allow the district to better track wear and tear and how individual devices are being cared for.
While the Chromebooks will follow students from grade to grade, Bleyer stressed that the devices will not leave school. At the end of each day, they will be placed on carts for storage and charging.
As students get older and begin moving between classrooms, they will take their assigned Chromebook with them from class to class.
Following discussion, the board unanimously approved the purchase of 115 Lenovo Chromebooks at a cost of just over 53-thousand dollars.