Scottsdale Unified School District IT Support Specialist Blake Wilson checks in the newly purchased Chromebooks that will be used by SUSD students in grade 3-12 science classes. (Scottsdale Unified School District photo)
PHOENIX — Students in the Scottsdale Unified School District will have new laptops to work with when school is back in session Monday.
The Governing Board unanimously approved a $2.9 M technology purchase for 7,560 new laptops. The funding for the decision came from a capital budget override approved by voters in 2016.
“New state science standards challenge students to learn by actively investigating phenomena, and gathering and analyzing data to build important inquiry and research skills,” Barb Reinert, SUSD Pre-K – Grade 12 science academic coach, said in a press release.
Students in grades 3-12 will have access to the equipment.
The school district is working towards a one-to-one ratio of students to technology devices in classrooms.
“We recognize the important role that classroom technology has for our students and how increased access to it elevates the way teachers engage students,” Debi Spaulding, SUSD Chief Systems Officer, said.
The 2019-20 fiscal year begins a five-year plan to replace outdated computer devices which are up to eight-years-old in some cases.
