Page 15 - Demo

Over the past several years, our District has made significant investments in educational technology to ensure that students have access to reliable devices that support teaching and learning both in the classroom and at home. As part of this ongoing commitment, the Information Technology Division has been working on a multi-year Student Chromebook Refresh initiative designed to replace aging devices with newer, more capable touchscreen models.The global technology industry is currently experiencing significant supply chain disruptions affecting several key components used in Chromebook manufacturing, including memory (RAM), processors, and other electronic parts. This is primarily due to an unprecedented worldwide demand for these components by AI data centers, combined with limited manufacturing capacity. This has resulted in shortages across the industry. As a result, device manufacturers have faced higher production costs and reduced inventory levels.These supply constraints have had a direct impact on Chromebook pricing. Devices that were budgeted at one price point only a few months ago have seen substantial cost increases, placing additional pressure on technology budgets nationwide. School districts, businesses, and organizations across the country are experiencing similar challenges as they work to maintain and expand their technology programs. Fortunately, the District was able to complete the replacement of student Chromebooks in high schools, alternative schools, and elementary schools during FY26 %u2013 before the parts shortage and price increases. For the final phase of the project, IT and Purchasing worked together on an additional formal Request for Quote (RFQ) process hoping to obtain better pricing for our K-8 and middle schools. Unfortunately, pricing came in extremely high along with unacceptable timelines causing us to step back and wait for the supply to catch up with the demand. In the meantime, our current fleet of Chromebooks will be actively supported by Google and will continue to receive Chrome/OS and security updates. We have a supply of spare devices that have been collected from elementary and high schools %u201con hand%u201d to support K-8 and middle schools still waiting to be refreshed.The IT Division continues to work closely with vendors and manufacturers to monitor pricing, availability, and future procurement opportunities. As responsible stewards of publicly-funded District resources, we remain committed to providing students with the technology resources they need for success and will resume refresh activities when market conditions become more favorable and financially sustainable.We appreciate the patience and understanding of our students, families, and staff as we navigate these challenges. We will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.MARKET VOLATILITY AFFECTS STUDENT CHROMEBOOK REFRESH PROJECT