Mica Hutchison - CRR Staff

CRSD held their February Board meeting on the first. Lively discussion centered mostly on upcoming laptop purchases and a proposal for out-of-state conference travel.

Following the January discussion on student and teacher device preferences, the Technology Committee met to discuss the cost of laptop replacement. That cost proposal was presented to the board this month.

Last year the district purchased 112 MacBooks with cases, additional chargers, and AppleCare plans for $154,146.40. The proposal for the 2022-2023 school year covers 90 MacBooks with accessories and care plans for $124,735.50.

Board member Heidi Jacobsen said she recognized some of the expanded capabilities of the MacBook but expressed concerns with the cost, saying, “I still am questioning why we need to get lap tops over $1,000 for each student?”

Superintendent Thérèse Ashton pointed to the results of last year’s surveys which asked students and teachers to evaluate the functionality of different devices. Most preferred the MacBooks, and it was noted they offered additional capabilities for students over their current Chromebooks. The MacBooks are cheaper than the Dell laptops which were considered.

Jacobsen also questioned the cost of the cases provided with each MacBook as well as the spare chargers.

Ann Helkenn — who has served as a Technology Support Specialist to the district for two years — assured the board the more expensive cases being purchased have proved useful. In her view, most devices have avoided damage due to this case, and she noted they are able to absorb a lot of impact. Helken stressed the need for device replacement, saying the Chromebooks middle schoolers have been using are at the end of their lifespan.

Additional chargers are being purchased so teachers can keep one at their desk and to replace student chargers which go missing. Aside from certain circumstances, parents will receive an invoice for the cost of replacing lost chargers at the end of the school year.

Following discussion, the board voted to approve the purchase of MacBook Air laptops for Glennallen grades 5-8, Kenny Lake grades 6-8, and to replace outdated staff devices.

Also approved were contracts for tenured and non-tenured certified staff for Fiscal Year 2023. Board President Joshua Scott recused himself from the vote which concerned a family member.

The Board moved to approve the out-of-state travel for up to seven staff members and two board members to attend the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana this summer. Cost to attend the 4-day conference totaled $26,055, and this proposal drew varying opinions on its benefit.

CRSD has sent Board members and staff to ISTE in prior years, and Superintendent Ashton found it to be a useful conference.

Board member Hannah Bengtson inquired about the ultimate goal of sending people to the conference. Ashton said attendees would be able to attend sessions and come back with information which could prove useful to the district. They would also be able to go to demonstrations, student showcases, and a vendor fair, allowing teachers to look at what is possible with technology.

Bengtson questioned if this would take the district in the direction they want to go, asking, “How is this going to help our students get away from screen time and to start reconnecting as individuals?”

The Board has previously heard frustrations from students on the amount of their school day spent engaging through screen. Bengtson went on to ask, “How has technology in the past five years helped develop our students? And how have their test scores improved because of technology use?”

Echoing statements from President Scott, Superintendent Ashton said, “The point of the conference is not to use more technology; it’s to use it more appropriately and wisely.”

Lead Teacher Shawna Goodwin sees the benefit to these conferences, saying “I can tell you just from my perspective, when I have gone to conferences — especially those about blended learning, personalized learning — we’ve included those in our practices at Kenny Lake for years.”

Board member Becky Schwanke attended a similar conference in the past but found presentations were centered around competency-based learning rather than technology. She had hoped competency-based learning would be something the district would embrace, but she hasn’t seen that happen.

Schwanke went on to say, “It takes tremendous creativity by teachers, by administrators, by everybody involved to really move towards that type of learning, but it is a more hands-on learning where we ensure that our students are learning the content as we go. And we don’t let them move forward until they have mastered it.”

In expressing her opposition to the proposal, Schwanke said, “I honestly feel like the way forward, the way to better test scores, the way to more students enjoying every day in schools is to build relationships — better relationships — with their educators. I don’t feel like that is going to happen if we send nine people down to Louisiana in June.” She would like to see the money directed toward sending students and teachers to learning opportunities within Alaska. Student Representatives Carly Daniels and Bella Webb expressed their agreement with Board member Schwanke.

The motion to send staff and Board members to the ISTE conference failed with 3 votes in favor and 6 votes in opposition.

The next board meet- ing will be held Tuesday, March 1.

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