School District 308 Cuts Cost of New Technology Plan Rollout

Oswego, Ill. (Dec. 2, 2015) — Community Unit School District 308 has cut the cost of its proposed technology plan by 32 percent, from an initial $36.3 million to $26 million. Moreover, the revised plan accelerates the rollout of additional mobile learning devices to district students and employees while spending less per student than the initial plan.

The new proposed five-year systematic technology plan provides students and teachers with both the learning technology they need and the training to use it. The plan creates a seamless transition for students to use mobile technology at home and in the classroom, prepares them for technology-focused careers, and integrates state-of-the-art technology into the learning process.

District 308’s current fragmented technology plan has not kept pace with rapid innovations in learning technology or with the capabilities of its students and teachers. It is time to efficiently and effectively move the district’s technology program forward, and the district is ready to do that, said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matthew Wendt.

“It is our responsibility to provide all of our students with the best education possible and prepare them for the future… a future that includes technology. Mobile technology already plays a large role in our students’ lives,” said Wendt. “It is also our responsibility to implement a technology plan for the lowest cost possible, yet aligns with creating a structure for our students to become college and career ready.”

Director of Technology Allen Clasen presented the revised Pathway to 2020 Technology Plan to District 308’s Board of Education on Monday, November 23. The new five-year technology plan calls for an accelerated distribution of nearly 26,000 Chromebooks to students and teachers in kindergarten through 12th grade – nearly double the number contained in the initial higher-cost plan presented in March 2015.

“We used stakeholder feedback from teachers, administrators, and staff members to value engineer a decrease in the number of virtual desktops and focus the plan on an application-based software portal,” said Clasen. “These changes will allow School District 308 to more quickly equip its teachers and students with Chromebooks, while still maintaining the required curricular and instructional functionality.”

As proposed for the first year of the rollout, 3,300 Chromebooks will be deployed to teachers and in carts to kindergarten through eighth grade students. During the 2016-17 school year, 7,200 Chromebook devices are proposed to be distributed in carts to kindergarten through fifth grade students as well as to all district high school students. The following year, 7,200 Chromebook devices will be distributed in carts to kindergarten through fifth grade students as well as to all district junior high students.

“To help us design an optimal technology solution at a lower cost than originally proposed, we met with groups of stakeholders in the fall, including teachers, staff and administrators, to learn their technology requirements,” said Clasen. “We will now be putting more devices in teachers’ and students’ hands at a lower cost than originally planned.”

The new scaled-back technology plan’s proposed $26 million price tag would be spread over a five-year period and includes the new student mobile environment and infrastructure improvements that support administrative and instructional systems.

The District 308 plan proposes a rollout of 26,000 devices over five years at a cost of $12 million, or $462 per device, taking into account graduating students, population growth, and a three-year refresh cycle, according to Clasen.

The revised technology plan is linked to the district’s overall strategic plan by providing all students with adaptable access to always-current learning materials and resources resulting in a deeply engaging, student-driven, personalized learning experience.

The proposed plan helps the district meet five technology-related goals:

• Expand learning opportunities through online and blended learning
• Integrate International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards into curriculum and instruction
• Implement instructional and administrative technology professional development
• Maximize the expansion of mobile computing use
• Implement a comprehensive infrastructure plan to assure available instructional resources for enhancing student achievement

“Mobile learning is an important part of students’ lives and learning today,” said Clasen. “With this proposed plan, School District 308 will be poised to offer all students a mobile learning experience that scales to the requirements of newly adopted curriculum and optimizes their academic achievement.”