All LT Students Getting Laptops Next School Year

LA GRANGE, IL — Students at both of Lyons Township High School's campuses are slated to get laptops in fall 2021, the school announced Tuesday.

Chromebooks are being ordered, with details on fees to be finalized in the coming months, according to a school news release.

Last spring, the school board approved the four-phase laptop program. However, the school later found it could speed up the project and start it all at once, the news release said.

The school said upgrades to its infrastructure and fiber optics is underway and would be completed in time for fall 2021.

About $2.2 million was budgeted for the South Campus laptops and technology upgrades, which are expected to be finished well ahead of schedule. The final phase, which the board decided to accelerate to alleviate "technology inequity," will cost an additional $1 million, according to the news release.

Also, the district has realized about $500,000 in savings based on deferring some purchases due to the pandemic, unpaid stipends and salaries during remote learning, and favorable pricing for Wi-Fi equipment.

Additionally, the fiber optics and internet service program realized savings because of eligibility for federal grants, the release said.

“Accelerating the 1:1 laptop program just makes sense at this time," Scott Eggerding, the curriculum director, said in the news release. "This pandemic has forced everyone into remote learning, making laptops crucial to our learning platforms. Students and staff alike have been utilizing technology to a greater extent than ever before and many teachers have found new, better ways of incorporating technology into their lesson plans, which will continue long after the pandemic is over.”