Oak Ridge Schools working on completing Phase 2 of convertible laptop purchases for students

 

Oak Ridge Schools is working on completing the second phase of a program that, among other things, provides convertible laptops to students. The program is known as Access Oak Ridge.

Phase Two brings the technology, which is also known as one-to-one technology, into all high school classrooms.

Due to funding, Oak Ridge Schools started the second phase by purchasing devices for two grade levels, ninth and tenth grades.

To complete Phase Two, about 750 additional machines are required at an estimated cost of $530,000. The equipment needs to be ordered as soon as possible, due to workloads, Oak Ridge Schools said in an informational item included in the agenda for the Monday night meeting of the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

Three options are outlined for the school board in order to have a back-to-school rollout of the devices:

1. Purchase devices for two grade levels (for incoming fifth-graders and next year’s seniors) in February for $530,000. This would result in an on-time rollout in July for both (all) grade levels.
2. Purchase devices for one grade level (for incoming fifth-graders) in February for $265,000, and delay purchase for computers for seniors to the next fiscal year. This would result in a delayed fall 2017 rollout for seniors.
3. Do not purchase devices for either grade level until next fiscal year. This would result in fifth-graders and seniors not getting devices until fall 2017. There would a major impact on fifth-grade teachers as they would have a difficult time accessing their digital content for students.

“In order to lower the risks of delays in laptop rollout for school year 2016-17 due to Technology Department workloads with budget permitting, the first option is most viable,” the agenda item said.

The Monday meeting of the Oak Ridge Board of Education starts at 6 p.m. January 23 in the School Administration Building at 304 New York Avenue. See the agenda here.

See the Access Oak Ridge agenda item here: VIII_B_AccessOakRidgeV2_0.

More information will be added as it becomes available.