Naperville School District 203 could transition to a 4-year replacement cycle for the personal Chromebooks issued to students as part of the one-to-one device system that has been in place in the more contemporary learning environment.
Currently, Chromebooks are replaced every three years.
District 203 administrators and the board of education are in the midst of reviewing issues such as Chromebook replacements as part of a bigger picture look at an information technology capital plan for the 2025-26 school year, and beyond.
Next fiscal year will be an ‘oddity’
Art Andersen, District 203’s director of information technology, combed through various facets of the proposed IT budget in the coming years at a board of education meeting on Monday, Oct. 7.
District 203’s anticipated IT budget for fiscal year 2026 is expected to decrease, from the $4.97 million earmarked in the current school year budget, to $2.23 million. Andersen described the drop as an “oddity” in his presentation to the board.
In the following year, Andersen is proposing an IT budget of $6.18 million, followed by a budget of $5.37 million in fiscal year 2028.
“When we start to look at the Chromebooks and how we use them, we think we can get a 4-year refreshment cycle,” Andersen said.
Instead, the plan in motion for FY 2025 calls for allocating some of the financial resources toward a rolling swap out of the existing smart boards, which Andersen said have been in place the past 10 to 12 years.
Currently, Andersen indicated new smart board technology is being piloted at the junior high and high school buildings in anticipation of a full districtwide rollout in the coming years.
Holding off on a Wi-Fi upgrade
Within the plan, Anderson said he is recommending an anticipated replacement of the district’s existing Wi-Fi system be delayed in anticipation of new technology that is soon expected to hit the marketplace.
Wi-Fi 7, as the advancement is known, will result in greater capacity across District 203’s footprint, as well as work with faster speeds, more distances and less interference.
“When we looked at the technology out there, currently Wi-Fi 7, which is the latest and greatest, is ready for certification, hopefully, at the end of this year,” Andersen said. “We’re not sure, though, so we don’t want to jump into that.”
If District 203 were to replace its Wi-Fi network before the full certification of Wi-Fi 7, Andersen said there is the possibility it would be obsolete upon arrival.
‘One piece at a time’
Several of District 203’s elected officials, including Board President Kristine Gericke, lauded Andersen and other administrators for assembling a comprehensive list of recommendations on IT spending for the upcoming school years.
“I know, in May and June, there’s always a focus on the big budget,” Gericke said. “Four meetings are dedicated to it, with special hearings and all that, but I think it’s important for the community to know that that process is going on all year long.”
Speaking to the IT capital plan and its part in each year’s fiscal budgets within the district, Gericke said, “We’re seeing one piece at a time and how it all comes together.”
The board is slated to vote on the plan at its upcoming Oct. 21 meeting.
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