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Complete Forecast for  Jul 06 2008

By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer

Tyler ISD trustees authorized the school district Thursday to put laptop computers in the hands of all classroom teachers and librarians before the school year ends.

The school board, during its regular meeting, approved the purchase of 1,260 Dell Latitude 530 laptops with docking stations at a cost of about $2.06 million.

The price tag includes the cost of an MS Office 2007 license, a three-year warranty with accident protection as well as installation and removal of the existing teachers' computers, according to district information. A three-year anti-theft software subscription is also included.

The installation of the new laptops will begin April 7 and is slated to be finished by May 23. Existing teacher computers will be repurposed as student computers.

The district's new technology plan calls for the computers to be replaced after about five years.

John Orbaugh, TISD director of technology, described the quality of the computers as "business class," chosen because of parts' availability and consistency, he said.

Officials said they expect the laptops will provide teachers with greater access and flexibility.

"We're in an era now where teachers are needing access to grade books, to curriculum and instructional materials from a variety of locations - not just in their classroom anymore," Orbaugh said prior to the meeting. "We want to make sure they have access to all the materials they need no matter where they may be located. A laptop really seems to be the best computer to let them have that type of 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week access."

Orbaugh said the only exception to all teachers receiving the laptops is with Head Start teachers, who are federally funded.

TISD Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid, after Thursday's meeting, said that these laptops are a "great opportunity" for teachers and provides them with great flexibility while also updating their computers.

"To me, I think it opens a world of options for teachers, which is what we're trying to do," Reid said.

tAX NOTES

The new laptops will be paid for through more than $4 million in maintenance tax notes, which trustees also approved issuing during Thursday's meeting.

David Tiffin, vice president of fixed income banking, U.S. Debt Markets, with RBC Dain Rauscher, noted to trustees Thursday the district's fiscal responsibility and good budget practices. Tiffin also told trustees that they had a rare, high "double A" credit rating.

He also explained that the language in the posting of the agenda for the notes was "in an amount not to exceed $4.4 million" and should have read "approximately" because what was submitted to the market in a pending sale was an amount of $4.445 million.

Tiffin said the Attorney General's office was contacted on the issue, and if the board approved the $4.445 million, which it did, it would not affect the legality of the notes. It was also possible that if the board had approved the amount of $4.4 million instead, it could have raised the interest rate on the notes.

At last month's board meeting, the board approved the district seeking financing for technology items through maintenance tax notes, marking another step toward implementing the district's five-year technology plan.

The superintendent has said the issuance of the debt is a "budget neutral" action. The amount of money needed to pay off the notes is built into the existing budget. About 3.2 cents on the maintenance and operations tax rate goes toward paying off maintenance tax notes, officials have said.

A maintenance tax note is like a short-term loan. These notes have about a three-year term.

The board also approved Thursday part of the $4.445 million to be used to buy more than $120,000 worth of computers for training on C-SCOPE, the district's new online curriculum.

The rest of the $4.445 million will be used to deal with technology needs as they are laid out in the technology plan, officials have said.

The district may choose to also use some of the funds for buses.

Depending on long-term funding options for technology that have yet to be decided, the district may need to hold on to the remaining amount of the $4.445 million to use for future technology needs, the superintendent has said.

According to district information, items to be purchased with the funds will be presented to the board for approval as the information and bids are gathered.

OTHER ITEMS

TISD trustees on Thursday also OKed a change to the previously-approved 2008-09 school calendar after the district discovered an error.

The board adopted a new calendar that moves the May 22 bad weather day to June 8. The change will make that weekend in May 2009 go from a four-day weekend to a three-day weekend since May 22 will become a regular day of instruction. If TISD were to have to use both bad weather days, then students would have to attend class June 8.

The board also approved the 2007-08 amended budget; gifts and donations; the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Update 82; extension of the district landscape maintenance services contract; replacement of Peete Elementary playground equipment; retaining architectural services for re-roof work at Caldwell Gymnasium and Auditorium; bus purchase for the PACE program; and elementary mathematics textbook selection.

It also accepted the resignation of Hubbard Principal Tammy VanSchoubroek who has accepted a job at another district, approved contract renewals for several central office administrators and principals and approved proposing non-renewal of contracts and giving of notice to two teachers. During the public comment period of Thursday's meeting, Shelley Wagner, a parent and a math tutor, spoke about the cutting of a technology position at Owens Elementary. Ms. Wagner described that position as "indispensable" and that removing a technology position is moving us "backwards instead of forwards." She said she represents many parents at Owens who are not pleased with the decision.