By BRETT KRIEBEL
Clarion News writer
The Clarion Area School Board recently approved a four-year lease of Chromebook laptops and other devices to be provided at the elementary school beginning next school year.
The lease through Clarion Office Equipment will provide 488 units, including an insurance package and replacement policy with costs to the district totaling $51,000 over four years. Title I funds will be used to cover the costs of the lease.
The district plans to provide grades K-2 with Chrometouch tablets, while the Chromebooks will be given to grades 3-6. Each respective classroom will employ a set of 24 Chromebooks.
“The reason we chose a four-year lease is because technology kind of doubles itself in its effectiveness about every two to three years,” said Superintendent Joe Carrico, who noted the district’s exhaustive inventory of current equipment would also be rotated up to the high school.
“By the end of four years it’s obsolete equipment,” Carrico continued. “Our goal is to ultimately build this into our financial infrastructure so that every three to four years we’re getting new equipment.”
Included in the lease are carts to hold the equipment, which act as charging stations for the units.
The units are a part of the Google platform, which the district has utilized since distance learning became necessary after the COVID-19 school closure order.
The lease is a step toward the district’s move into a digital platform basis of learning. And while the district already had plans to introduce more technology into its curriculum, the COVID-19 pandemic has sped up that progression.
“It’s why we were able to pivot as quickly as we were to the online instruction,” said Technology Director Jim Smyton. “We’re learning a lot about this and we’ve been kind of working toward this process. It just happened a lot quicker than expected.”
Carrico said the district will focus on professional development to equip teachers with the knowledge of how to continue to apply the technology in their classrooms.
For example, where the district would normally buy dozens of books for classes — now the purchase of only a couple dozen books with an accompanying downloadable digital package could be transferred through thumb drives to devices.
“Can we pre-record lessons with videos students can watch,” said Carrico. “Can we send them thumb drives with the information already loaded on there? We’re trying to figure out all that information moving forward. This is step one of a significant journey for Clarion.”
As part of the changes, the central office will be relocated upstairs to provide more support and access to the community.
“A part of that move is creating a training space centered on technologies,” Carrico said, adding Smyton will be provided a training space where the former central office was located to provide real-time training and development to teachers.
While the district has begun moving toward a technological approach, Carrico said elements of traditional instruction will remain a constant.
Carrico continued, “We do that in school buildings and through extracurricular activities. Just because we’re moving to complete digital access doesn’t mean we’re advocating for totally digital learning.”
Other news
– The board gave district legal counsel Christy Logue the authority to enter into settlement negotiations with Walmart concerning Walmart’s real estate tax assessment appeal.
According to board secretary Jill Spence, Walmart had its Monroe Township property appraised at a market value of $3.82 million, which converts to an assessed value of $782,787.
At the district’s current mills of 65.73, the property would thus owe around $51,452 in real estate taxes.
“This is a reduction from the current state market value of $9,776,494 ($131,682 in real estate taxes),” an email correspondence with Spence reads. “This would mean a loss of $80,229 in revenue for the district.”
The district is looking for the property’s market value to be set between the two figures.
– The board heard from Paul Brown of P.R. Brown Busing Inc. regarding Brown’s request for the board to consider compensation for Intermediate Unit vans since the March 13 school closure.
As part of the district’s transportation contract, vans are contracted at a rate per actual mile driven. Additionally, the vans have not been in use since the closure.
According to Spence, there has been no discussion between the company and the board to renegotiate the contract thus far.
– The board approved appointing Crystal Johnson as special education supervisor at a salary of $75,000 for the 20-21 school year.
– The board approved the appointment of Mike Lawson and Douglas Pappas to summer maintenance positions at hourly rates of $12.
– The board approved a list of 54 senior students to be awarded Clarion Area High School diplomas.
– The board approved the updated district share of a purchase from CS Technologies for Ubiquiti Switches/WAP per the e-rate proposal.
The total purchase cost is $18,372, with the district’s share being $5,498.
– The board approved the first reading of administrative regulations for policy 200 (enrollment of students).
The board will meet at 7 p.m. tonight in the high school LGI room.