Tech Lease Agreement Considered
The East Lycoming School Board is considering entering a lease agreement to obtain 580 computers to upgrade technology in all of its school buildings.
Adam Creasy, technology director for the past two years, gave board members a presentation Tuesday night to further explain the need.
The lease won’t impact the annual budget, Creasy and district administrators said.
It will bring 389 iMacs and 191 Macbooks to the district and include a four-year warranty and service provisions from Apple.
Board members also learned the upgraded technology will create a ratio per building of one computer to every 3.4 students.
That will provide more equity for students and staff in all of the district buildings, including the junior and senior high school and two elementary schools.
Dr. Susan L. Bigger, district superintendent, said the purpose of the upgrade is not merely to keep up with every-changing technological advancements, but also to provide proper use, equity and sustainability in the classrooms for students and staff.
“Every student who needs a computer should be able to have access. We also thought about what does it look like embedded in a course,” she said.
In addition, the district touted its relatively new Web site that is considered more dynamic and practical than a previous version.
The site has a district-wide calendar system that better answers residents’ questions about upcoming events and it offers an array of photographs of school activities and information on school closings.
“A Web page is static as a book unless it is constantly updated,” Bigger said.
The site includes “for staff only” and a “student-only directory,” Creasy said.
The site has a school board section that also will be upgraded eventually to offer users the option of taking part in surveys and providing more news and information to the community-at-large.