WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington School Committee unanimously approved a new 5-year capital improvement plan at their meeting last week.
Projected capital requests, which are certainly subject to change, come with an overall price tag of $2.685 million.
FY17 (July 2016-June 2017) — $433,554 Total
- VoIP Telephone System Project (Year #1 of 2): $150,000
- Elementary Switch Replacement Project (Year #1 of 2): $36,000
- Chromebook Subsidy (Year #1 of 5): $7,154
- Standardized Test Laptop Cart Project: $90,000
- North & West Laptop Cart Project: $22,400
- SPED Van #2 Replacement: $30,000
- Fundations – Phonics – ELA Program (Curriculum): $38,000
- Calkins Reading Curriculum: $35,000
- Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum: $25,000
FY18 (July 2017-June 2018) — $658,970 Total
- VoIP Telephone System Project (Year #2 of 2): $150,000
- Elementary Switch Replacement Project (Year #2 of 2): $36,000
- Exchange Email Server Upgrade Project: $25,000
- Middle School Tech Ed Engineering Lab Replacement Project: $67,500
- Chromebook Subsidy (Year #2 of 5): $23,470
- PreK-Grade 3 Lab PC Replacement Project: $72,000
- Laptop Battery Replacement Project (Year #1 of 2): $30,000
- Filer Server System Replacement & Upgrade: $15,000
- Electronic Document Management Project: $35,000
- SPED Van #1 Replacement: $30,000
- Middle School Math Program: $150,000
- Calkins Writing Curriculum: $25,000
FY19 (July 2018-June 2019) — $692,246 Total
- Laptop Battery Project (Year #2 of 2): $20,000
- Middle School Laptop Replacement Project: $161,100
- Middle School Projector Replacement Project: $160,000
- Administrative Staff PC Replacement Project: $36,000
- Chromebook Subsidy (Year #3 of 5): $37,646
- Elementary Projectors Replacement Project: $267,500
- Genetec Security Server Replacement: $10,000
FY20 (July 2019-June 2020) — $508,758 Total
- High School, North & West Laptop Replacement Project: $273,750
- Server Software Upgrade: $22,500
- Elementary & Middle School Printer Replacement Project: $65,000
- Cafeteria Point of Sale Machines Replacement: $25,500
- Chromebook Subsidy (Year #4 of 5): $52,008
- Middle School Switch Replacement: $70,000
FY21 (July 2020-June 2021) — $392,258 Total
- PreK-Grade 3 Teacher Laptops Replacement Project: $188,250
- High School Labs PC Replacement Project: $102,000
- PA System Upgrade: $50,000
- Chromebook Subsidy (Year #5 of 5): $52,008
Gradual 1:1 (1 Device for Every 1 Student) Rollout To Start Next Year
“Wilmington has made sound decisions regarding technology,” said Superintendent Mary DeLai, noting some other school districts may have jumped into 1:1 learning environments too quickly.
“I’m currently putting together a 1:1 plan,” said Technology Director Neil Ellis told the Committee. “We’re thinking of partnering with a vendor to get a lower price point for chrome books. Then we’d create a website where parents could purchase the chrome book through.”
Ellis noted the district would provide free chrome books to students whose families could not afford them, based on free and reduced school lunch data.
“When we look at the expense the district would incur to pay for those devices on either a fair market value lease or a lease-to-own after 3 years, both of those options look very reasonable and definitely do-able by the district,” reported Ellis.
“Our plan is to begin at a grade level — perhaps 9th next year — and say ‘here’s the website, you can go on the website to purchase the chrome book, if you need financial assistance, please let us know and we can work through that with you’,” explained Superintendent DeLai.
“We have some folks in town – the school business partnership, for example, – that is willing to donate funds to the school department to help offset this expense for kids,” said DeLai.
“We’d start in the 9th grade. Those kids then become 10th graders and then the incoming 9th grade [would be expected to purchase chrome books] and we’d continue on, and then drop it down to 7th and 8th, or 6th, 7th, and 8th,” said DeLai. “What we’re hoping for is that – over several years – each student would actually have his or her own device.”
Ellis noted that the district is going to strongly encourage, not “mandate,” parents to purchase chrome books for their students to bring to school, and not other alternatives. The chrome book is the device that will work the easiest and integrate the best with the district’s system and infrastructure. That said, as long as non-chrome book devices meet a certain set of specifications, they will be permitted.
Watch the discussion, courtesy of Wilmington Community Television, below. It begins at the 2-hour, 15-minute mark and lasts about 25 minutes.
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