School Board Okays Plan for More iPads

The Rochester School Board voted Tuesday night to authorize school district staff to seek bids for the purchase of nearly 3,500 iPads with an estimated price tag of just under $1.8-million dollars.

The purchase would allow the school district to expand the “One to One Technology” program that was established at Longfellow Elementary School a few years ago to three additional elementary schools (Pinewood, Gage, and Riverside Central) along with the Lincoln at Mann K-8 Choice School and Willow Creek and Friedell Middle Schools at the start of the second semester.

School officials say the additional iPad purchase would be financed over four-years using money from the school district’s general fund. In addition to the purchase price, the cost of training, support staff and software is estimated at about $250,000 dollars per year.