Arlington Heights Dist. 25 plans to buy laptop for every middle schooler

Arlington Heights Elementary School District 25 plans to spend more than $600,000 this year to buy laptop computers for every middle school student.

The board last week discussed a plan that would include purchasing 2,000 Chromebooks for students at South and Thomas middle schools as the district continues to move toward a 1:1 technology plan.

"We want to do what's best for kids but also be financially responsible," said Chris Fahnoe, director of technology.

The district now has almost enough devices for every student, but they are a variety of different types and are managed on a check-out basis. That means if every teacher wants to use a certain kind at the same time, there would not be enough, Fahnoe said.

With the move toward more personalized learning and online testing, Fahnoe said it is important to make sure all students have standardized devices they can use each day.

The 2,000 Chromebooks, which cost $288 each, would be available for every sixth- through eighth-grade student to check out every morning and use all day. In later years, the district might allow students to take the devices home. Aside from the Chromebooks, Fahnoe recommended buying cases for each laptop and one charging station per classroom, and allocating some staff hours for inventory and deployment. In all, the program is expected to cost $627,500, according to district documents.

The purchase would be paid for partially with money from the technology budget, while the rest would need to be factored into the next budget, which will be approved Sept. 22.

Although school starts next week in the Arlington Heights district, Fahnoe said officials will take their time to buy the laptops and train the staff. The computers would be handed out later in the 2016-17 school year.

"We are not looking to do this on day one. We will need to do some training," he said. "But this starts to ensure the access and readiness that our teachers are asking for."

The move comes as many other suburban districts are moving toward having a device for every student. Northwest Suburban High School District 214, where most District 25 students will attend, offers an iPad for every student.