Children in every grade in the Pottsville Area School District will have an Apple iPad Air 2 to use next school year.
The Pottsville Area School board voted 7-2 at a 7 a.m. meeting Thursday for the $1,624,636.90 Apple Master Lease Agreement. Board members Scott Thomas and Ann Blankenhorn voted no.
Students in grades K through 6 currently use iPads, with some available for use in the middle and high school.
“It’s a way to put technology into the hands of the kids that can’t afford it,” board member Charles Wagner said Thursday.
Before the vote, taxpayer Josephine Kwiatkoeski told the board she didn’t like the idea.
“By this time, I am sure the decision to enter into a contract with Apple has already been made, however, I would be remiss in my duties as a taxpayer and parent if I did not at least address the issue,” she said.
She talked about financing such a large expense, questioned if students have keyboarding skills and questioned the possible detrimental effects of exposure to their eyesight, among others.
“I also worry that we are indoctrinating our students into choosing Apple products, as this is what they will be familiar with. This is a good business strategy for Apple, I am not sure it is good for the taxpayer,” she said.
The board talked for about 45 minutes on the idea about getting the new iPads. By doing so, the district could actually save money, some said. Prior to the vote, the district had three lease agreements with Apple, which the district could end up paying $2,222,157, according to The Republican-Herald archives. The amount now is the $1,624,636.90 into one agreement to be financed over a four-year time period, amounting to $413,899 per year. Also, if circumstances warrant it, interest-only payments can be made totaling not more than $10,000 per year to be examined in the event a state budget is not passed, Apple Financial Services said.
Superintendent Jeffrey S. Zwiebel said the lease agreement, in which the district will eventually own the iPads, will result in 2,900 iPad Air 2s for students and teachers which are 64 gigs, 27 iMac desktops that are 8 gigs for the publications room and 240 Macbook Pro laptops for teachers in the district including staff such as school psychologists. A warranty is included. He said the iPads will be equipped with a type of software in which the district can disable certain functions if needed. Apple professional development for teachers is also included in the price. Students will be permitted to take the laptops home. A yet-to-be-approved iPad agreement insurance policy could be approved in May. Zwiebel said the cost could be $50 for one student per and $80 if the parents have more than one child attending the district. Those students who qualify for reduced lunches could see a fee of $25 per child or $40 for two or more in the district. Children who qualify for free lunches could end up paying no amount for insurance, he said. He said other districts statewide have similar policies. Parents must sign a form, he said. Payment plans likely will be available, he said.
Zwiebel said the first quarterly payment is due in July with a “roll out” of the iPads for the 2016-17 school year.
Board member Scott Thomas said while he thought the initiative is “great” he didn’t think the timing was right. He went into classrooms and noticed students using the iPads.
“I do think it is the way of the future. My concern is the finances,” he said.
He questioned what the taxpayers will think if the district might have to raise taxes later and then the public will say the board did not need to buy the iPads or if the district is making cuts to programs. He also said the district is still owed money from the state.
“I agree with the program. I just don’t feel as though the timing is right,” he said.
Blankenhorn said she was concerned the state budget has not been totally approved and how that is impacting the district.
“My main concern is the budget,” she said.
Board member Karen Rismiller also had budget concerns but said the purchase makes sense. She said the district is waiting on more than 50 percent of its funding from the state. Despite that, she said, “I think we need to make an investment in the future.”
Tim McHugh, account executive, with Apple said the district has non appropriation language in its Apple Master Lease Agreement that says if the initiative is not funded, whether it be the state or local level, the district may return the merchandise without penalty. There is a legal process that must be followed. He said that has been included in the other leases.
Christina DiCello, a board member, said the move is a good one for the district.
“We will actually be paying less money having more equipment then we will if we actually stick to our current financial commitment which we can’t go back on, so we are already committed to certain things. If we don’t go forward with expanding the program, we might as well stop it because technology evolves. There is really no point in having children on outdated equipment because part of the point of having the iPads is to make them tech savy,” she said.
Board member John F. Boran said he went to some district classrooms and noticed how the students were using the iPads.
“What I saw was incredible,” he said.
Speaking of the agreement, Boran said “it does make sense to do” if the board wants to continue on the current path it is on for using the iPads.
He spoke about the district not receiving all of its funding.
“Shame on them (Harrisburg) for not getting the budget, but education is not going to close down. Money is going to come in. It’s just a question of when and at what point it comes in. It’s not like a business is going to close up and just go away and the lights go off, so I think according to our faculty, our administration. I think it’s important to our students,” he said.
Kelly Lombel, a fifth-grade teacher at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School, said the students love using the iPads.
“We have been using them a lot lately, but we don’t use them everyday,” she said.
Dianne Dougherty, technology director, said the district will have a technology sale this year for the current Apple equipment. A date was not provided.