Cape schools to spend $400k on student devices

The Cape Girardeau School Board voted unanimously this week to purchase 1,540 new Chromebooks at a cost of $400,370.66 for students at Central High School and the district's alternative school, Central Academy.

A Chromebook is a laptop or tablet running the Linux-based Chrome OS as its operating system.

Chromebooks use the Google Chrome browser, and most applications and data reside in the cloud rather than on the machine itself.

Superintendent Neil Glass said there is money available in the district's fund balance to make the purchase out of this year's budget.

The board was advised to purchase the devices now to ensure arrival in time for the start of the 2021-2022 academic year.

The devices supplier is CDW-G, Computer Discount Warehouse-Government, based in Vernon Hills, Illinois, near Chicago.

Jamie Russell, the district's technology instructional specialist, said the new Chromebooks are expected to last four years.

Current devices being used by students at the high school and Central Academy will replace roughly 450 aging Chromebooks being used now in the district's five elementary schools.