By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays school board heard a report Monday on the lease of new iPads for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Apple has offered a no-interest lease agreement for 1,50o iPads and cases.
The lease would cost $360 per iPad and case for a total lease of $540,000 over four years.
The lease would allow the district to get ahead in its rotation for replacement of the kindergarten through second-grade devices, said Scott Summers, USD 489 technology director.
The district had planned to use the current K-2 devices a total of six years, and then rotate the next round of K-2 devices out after four years, he said. Adopting the proposed lease would mean two five-year rotations on the K-2 devices if the district opted for the $1 buy-back option at the end of the lease.
Summers estimated the district could reap about $50 per device if it bought and then sold the leased devices.
"I think we are doing good to get a device for four years for $310," Summer said. "If you look at the price break down per student per year, that is a pretty cost-effective way to do it."
The district has budgeted funds in its capital outlay to pay for the lease.
Board member Tammy Wellbrock asked Summers if he was anticipating the iPads will receive more wear and tear this semester because they are being used at home.
Summers said he is not seeing broken equipment as a major reason for calls to the district tech line. However, a few devices at all levels have been swapped with students during continuous learning.
The board is set to vote on the lease agreement in May.
Board member Lance Bickle asked if the administration had concerns about moving forward with the lease at this time from a budget perspective.
Superintendent Ron Wilson said he did not have concerns. He said if anything changes between now and the next school board meeting concerning the budget, he would alert the board.
Shanna Dinkel, assistant superintendent, said the move to digital learning has shown the usefulness of the district's one-to-one device policy.
She said there may be times in the fall and later when students may need to be out of class for extended periods and distance learning may need to be used again.
Bickle said distance learning may prove beneficial in other circumstances, such as for athletes who need to travel.
Device drop off
The last instructional day for seniors will be May 5. Seniors will turn their devices in Wednesday, May 6.
Juniors through freshmen will turn their devices in on the following Monday through Wednesday by grade level starting with juniors. The district plans to have an evening turn in on Wednesday at the high school.
The middle school will likely have device drop off on Thursday, May 14, and Friday, May 15.
Elementary schools have not yet made arrangements concerning device drop off.