Overdue updates and improvements in district-wide computer and technology were approved by the Perry School Board at their monthly meeting Monday.
Advanced one week due to the start of Spring Break March 12, the meeting saw the board agreed to expenses of slightly less than $300,000 to address technology needs.
Technology Director Rich Nichols spoke to the board about the scheduled need to replace the technology switches in the district. Called the backbone of the district network, the switches direct computer demands, requests and tasks, allowing for effective interaction between machines and with the internet.
The last systemwide update and installation was done more than six years ago, and Nichols noted the need for the update, with the board agreeing.
Lincolnshire, Ill.-based CDWG presented the low bid of $148,546.05 for the updates and upgrades. Nichols said more than $127,000 of the cost would be in hardware, with the remainder covering engineering, installation and removal of the existing equipment.
Up to 80 percent of the total outlay could be reimbursed through the E-rate program, but Nichols noted it will be six months before the district learns how much will be returned.
The board also approved the purchase of 284 laptops and bags and 120 Chromebooks. CDWG was again the low bidder, with a total cost of $149,518. The costs will be covered by PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy) funds that were previously budgeted.
Nichols said the 1,300 Lenovo laptops currently used by students in the district “have proven to be solid. They run well and are built to last.”
Board President Kyle Baxter and Director Kenia Alarcon were absent, but Vice President Linda Andorf and Directors Jim Lutmer and Casey Baldwin asked several questions about the upkeep and performance of the laptops and their uses.
Superintendent Clark Wicks praised Nichols for constantly repairing the current crop of machines and for his diligence in technology matters.
The breakdown for the purchases will be $365.28 per laptop and $22.28 per bag, with the Chromebook costs set at $305.71 each.
The meeting began with the board hearing from eighth grade math teacher Sean Brix and from senior high math instructors Amy Skinner, Lisa Schumacher and Paige Wilken, who had recently attend the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
All shared with the board what they learned, with Brix focusing on interactive classroom projects that allow him to focus more completely on the progress of each individual student. The PHS teachers discussed the value of learning from others and about new approaches to Standards Based Grading.
The board also announced the 2018-2019 budget will be presented at an April 9 public hearing. The school district’s property tax levy rate will be set at $21.53, a reduction of five cents from last year’s rate.
A 3.95 percent increase in the district insurance plan was also approved. Perry is one of 84 schools that pool resources in the Iowa Schools Employee Benefits Association, all of which received the same increase. The increase was due entirely to medical insurance, as no increase was given for dental, life, vision or long-term disability portions of the plan.
Board Financial Secretary Kent Bultman said he contacted several districts not in the ISEBA collective, and all were expecting increases of 13 to 23 percent while dealing directly with Wellmark.
The board set the school calendar for 2018-2019. The school year will start Aug. 23, end May 29 and graduation will occur May 26. The board also agreed to several policy and personnel matters, to continue an arrangement with the University of Northern Iowa regarding student teachers, an adjustment to the budget as the result of a decrease of 64.7 students and a new price of $40.50 (down from $48) on background checks performed by One Source.
The Perry Community School District Board of Education regularly meets the second Monday of each month in the Brady Library at PHS. Meetings begin at 6 p.m. with the public welcome to attend.
