New iPads for teachers in Glenbard Dist. 87 budget
To get a sense of how fast technology evolves, Glenbard High School District 87 teachers have iPads, most in only their second year of use, that can store 16 gigabytes of data.
Incoming freshmen? Their new tablets have a whopping 64 gigs.
To narrow the gap, the district plans to provide new iPads to its certified teaching staff, one of the investments in technology as part of its tentative $171.5 million budget for 2015-16.
"They should have the most current device as the students," said Chris McClain, assistant superintendent for finance and operations.
The district will refurbish the teachers' version and reissue the upgraded iPads to next year's seniors.
"We're not just taking those old devices and moving them to the side," McClain said. "We're going to take them and bring them back and redeploy them for seniors who will only need them for one year."
By August 2016, all students in the four high schools will have iPads, ending the district's rollout one year earlier than originally planned. The old plan was to phase in the handheld devices to each freshman class over four years.
Currently, new students, returning sophomores and some upperclassmen have iPads.
"We've come to the conclusion that it has to be accelerated because we have a fair amount of juniors and some seniors that have iPads right now, too," McClain said. "Some of the coursework that they're taking requires the digital curriculum, so they have to have the device."
Students pay a $189 rental fee each year that covers the iPad, case, sales tax and insurance. If their fees have been paid, they can take the tablets home for the summer and own them outright at graduation.
The money enables the district to come "pretty close" to breaking even on the costs, McClain said.
A school board committee, meanwhile, will resume budget talks Monday, Sept. 14. A public hearing and a board vote on the spending blueprint is set for Monday, Sept. 28.
The district's financial planners expect the operating budget to generate a $3.65 million surplus. But after using $3.48 million of that to pay back debt, the district should end the fiscal year with a net surplus of $168,979.
The proposed budget also sets aside roughly $34.5 million for construction projects as the district continues to chip away at a $100 million, decadelong plan to make improvements at the four schools. The plan is financed by a combination of sources: $35 million was raised by extending debt due to retire, a move approved by voters in a ballot question; $20 million from so-called "alternative revenue source" bonds; and the district's operational budget.
The $34.5 million includes most of the $11.3 million in mechanical, electrical and plumbing work completed this summer at Glenbard East High School, where a boiler plant was replaced and air conditioning was installed.
Also included is a $16.5 million estimated project to build a three-story addition at Glenbard West, renovate classrooms and air condition the entire school, the last in the district without it.
On the revenue side, the district expects to collect $120.3 million in property taxes, a 1.8 percent increase from last year because of inflation and new construction.
The board's finance and facility committee will meet at 6 p.m. Sept. 14 at the district's offices, 596 Crescent Blvd.