Oconee School Board Asked To Buy Chromebooks With Relief Funds

Oconee County Schools Superintendent Jason Branch, in a brief work session last week, asked the Board of Education to spend $357,408 in federal emergency pandemic relief funds for purchase of 876 additional Chromebook computers.

The new computers will be distributed to new students and will be used as loaners during repairs of already issued devices, according to the request.

Oconee County Schools has been allocated just less than $5.2 million in federal funds under the three relief bills passed by Congress, with the money to be used for Educational Stabilization to offset the impact of the pandemic on education.

Of that amount, Oconee County School has apportioned just less than $2.1 million, or 40.5 percent, for technology.

The Board will respond to Branch’s request on the Chromebook purchases at its regular meeting on Oct. 18.

The Oconee County Board of Commissioners also held a brief meeting last week at which it adopted an update to the Northeast Georgia Solid Waste Management Plan and approved a Contract Manager at Risk with the Mathias Corporation of Duluth for the Administrative Building construction.

For more on this story, with links to the video of both the Board of Education and Board of Commissioners meetings, please go to Oconee County Observations.