I usually say all those in favor. All those in favor and I'm v I'm going to vote no. Say, I'm sorry I didn't hear you. I'm voting no. Oh, okay. Uh, Charlene, I Yes. I Fred Rushton. Barb Zerziki. No. Judy Reed, yes. Okay. Item 7.5, Title One, Chromebooks bid. Um, Madame President and board members, um, I could have put this in my positive, uh, positive list of things from the superintendent report, but it's its own item and it's pretty exciting. Um, so the technology department would like uh to award Title One Chromebooks bid to Gov Connection uh, in the amount of $200,962.75. And this gets us a heck of a lot of Chromebooks. Um uh and you can see the this was these were the various bids and um uh and you can see the point system. So we always establish when we have this kind of thing we establish a a rubric ahead of time before we open the bids.
Uh Jen was involved with this with uh with James and um and so you can see that connection uh Acer uh as and connection also had put in a bid for Lenovos. Uh but you can see that uh the highest points were for the Acers and I'm sorry I don't remember how many we're getting but it's a heck of a lot. Jen 564 a lot of them. Okay. So I recommend that we accept this bid.
Any discussion? May I ask a question of our IT person if if it's permitted. Hi, thank you. Um I I not quite um well I'm I don't know much about Acer. Is Acer the brand that we would be getting? Yeah, my apologies. I I should have included a little more information in there yet. The that particular brand that was proposed was Acer and that's the manufacturer phone book. We had several different manufacturers represented, you know, Packard, Lenovo, um several others. Uh we did put out a minimum specification of what we expected and um we got back a myriad of responses that the models were kind of all over the place in that and some of the scores reflect that. You know, some of the models were not quite as robust as others. Um, some of the vendors put a little more information in their packet than than others didn't.
And so that's kind of why you see the scores kind of all over the place. And we felt that the Acer uh Chromebook that was proposed, it's going to be sturdy enough to to handle some of the the environments that our students are going to put it in um and have enough hardware in there that we could hopefully get, you know, five to seven years of it before it became kind of unusable. And what uh in in the event that something goes wrong, will they have any kind of a warranty or anything? Yes, our minimum was a one-year uh warranty with mailin support. So, we we try to keep a lot of the stuff in house. You know, if a screen needs to be repaired or a battery needs to be replaced, we like to handle that here, not not ship it off. And looking at the warranty support that we got with the Acer, they kind of have uh both ways.
So, we could mail in a Chromebook if it needed uh some work done on it, but also if it was a part that we felt like we could replace, they would just mail us a new part and we could fix it. But even after that one year, um if something went wrong with it, parts are still going to be available and we could, you know, buy them as needed. As a general rule with the Chromebooks, the first year if anything major gets broke on it, we we don't generally repair it. When you when you figure, you know, a new screen or a new budd is 50% of the price that you paid for it, it really doesn't make a lot of sense to to make that repair. But if we can pick up a new battery for $35$40, well then that that kind of makes sense, right?
Understand. Okay, cool. Thank you. question. Do we do a replacement a cycle of replacement like 50 books this year and 50 books? Right. Okay. Um I personally do not prescribe what the schools should dispose of or or recycle. We we put out what we would recommend, but you know, I I I'm not in the classroom. I'm not a school administrator, so I I don't I try not to say this is what you must do at your school. Um, but yeah, we do have a number of Chromebooks that are no longer receiving updates, um, no longer receiving security patches and cannot run some of the applications that we need. And so as these new ones go out, we're kind of bringing some of those old ones in and they get recycled. Sometimes we can get a little bit of money when we recycle them. Sometimes we can't.
But yeah, that's kind of our plan is we send the new ones out and hopefully bring some of the other ones in that are no longer. our librarians are uh reluctant to give them up even even if we cannot update them anymore. Um but we also have some of the ones that are older that we use like with kindergarten and first grade. Um because they will if they will still run programs that are suitable for those. They might not be able to be updated but if they will still use it. So we have right now I think it's safe to say we have more Chromebooks than we have students. Um uh but that means that we have them in the places that we need them. So there were a lot of them on the list. Yes. The disposal list. Yes, there were Chromebooks that I mentioned that have not received security patches in a while or not received Chrome OS updates.
So a Chromebook basically is just Chrome browser installed on a purpose. That that's really all it runs is Chrome. Um and many of the programs that that we use and that are designed specifically to work on Chromebooks. They're a very affordable device. I can remember not too long ago when you know a 30 workstation computer for a classroom was 28 $30,000 and now we're buying Chromebooks for $300 a year instead of $800. The other thing I will tell you is that the funding we're using for this uh uh the state sent to us, I'm not sure leftover is the right kind of money, but uh the funding for this and a few ex a few more dollars than this. I think it was 280,000 um uh is money, title money that was not spent in fiscal year 23. So we have to use it or we lose it.
And so this is a good opportunity for us to, you know, to start replacing some Chromebooks and get get that rotation going. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Um, do I have a motion to or do I have a motion to to award the contract for title one Chromebooks? I make a motion we award uh title one Chromebook bid to uh Acer. A it was something Acer it's Gov Connection Acer Chromebook connection bid to government gov connection the Acer Chromebooks for $2,962.75. I'll second the motion. All those in favor? I Melinda Subski. I Charlene Diaz. I Fred Rushton. I Barb Zarziki. I Judy Reid. Item 7.6 updated job descriptions. Well, we have one. Well, we know one one I'm going to withdraw from consideration for right now. Um, uh, the student achievement one. Uh, this one is the one that I told you that has been approved position.
It's been kind of on hold because we've not been able to find somebody. Um, but there's there are things in this job description that we've needed to have happening and Kate has done them when she can.
uh she was involved in revising this from what it was before and she probably can do a better job of answering any questions you might have about this one than I can. Um uh if you want to ask her those things, but um u we really are hopeful that we can find somebody for this position this year. We really desperately need somebody to be coaching specifically coaching our special ed people. Kate, this would be for all all grade levels, right? Yes. would cover preschool through 8th grade. Um it would cover all programming, so life skills, behavior resource, um the resource classrooms. They would work with the special education teachers who are new because we do have um some new teachers coming from overseas. they will work with them on how to run an IEP meeting here in the United States, how to write an IEP um that is um compliant and legal um by US standards.
They will work with the teachers in the classrooms and developing um visual schedules, things like that for students, help them work on behaviors to try and extinguish some of the behaviors that we have going on in the schools. um and really just do the do a lot of the things for the teachers that I can't get out and do on a daily basis because of life academy commitments and the director position commitments that I have every day. Um so I'm really my fingers are crossed my toes and eyes that I can find somebody this year because our special education teachers like they they want the training, they want the help, they want those things. Um I'm hoping we can find somebody to help facilitate that for next year. Okay. Thank you. Oh, wait a minute.
Um, anybody else have any questions for Kate? No. Okay. Sorry, Kate. Thank you. I just said thank you and ask I didn't ask the board. Okay. So, we're going to I'm going to ask for approval for instructional coach for student achievement. I make a motion we I'm sorry. Go ahead, Shirley. Go ahead. I make a motion that we uh accept the description for the instructional coach for student achievement and find one. I'll second that. All those in favor? I Melinda Saskki. I Charlene Diaz. I Fred Rushton. Hi Barb Ziki. Hi Judy Reid. Okay. This is the first reading for this 7.7 policy advisory for IHA basic instructional program. Um we talked about this in the workshop, right? Uh so we're going to talk about it next meeting. 7.8 policy advisory for JLF sex offender and notification. This is the first reading in a in public meeting.
So, um, we'll talk about this one next time. Closing items. 8.1 Future topics. Is there anything that the board would like to have Dr. Stewart prepare for us? I really appreciate the kids from Life Academy. I know. Yes. It would be really nice if I could get their at least their first name. Okay. Maybe. And so I can send him a personal absolutely thank you note for that. So if you can do that for me, I appreciate that. Um, and we'll have another school next month. Can't wait. Yeah, we will. It's already planned. Um, which one? Or is it? I knew you'd ask me that. Never mind. Yes, it is a secret. Okay. We want to surprise you. I really I really appreciate seeing that stuff. Yeah. And I and I am I'm extremely pleased with the fact that our life academy is functioning the way that I have viewed it needed to function for 15 years.
I mean, you know, for a long time, um, the kids are the the students are benefiting from this opportunity to to turn themselves around and and I think you saw two really good examples. Congratulations. I'm glad that we didn't see them in the executive session. Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. That has a lot to do with Miss Hall. It does. It does very much. She needs you need very much back. I will tell you that the crew that works in there, I mean, uh, uh, Mr. Schnobble is working on his teaching degree. Um, he's a long-term sub right now, but we keep him in there because he's amazing working with those kids. And I'm sorry, who is the little the little one? Oh, I don't know. The three that look younger than the students, the three pair of professionals. The little one is she's actually in college right now to get her math degree.
Um, and her future goal is to teach college level. She has more energy. I can just tell. I just thought, "No, no, no, no. We're here at 8:30 at night. No, you don't." Anyway, what a nice thing. Growing our own. Growing our own. But they look younger than the kids. Yeah, they do, don't they? Yeah. Okay. 8.2 upcoming board events. Sure. Is there anything special on here that we need to attend? Yeah. You just want to be sure you put on your calendar promotion. Oh, yeah. Yeah. When is it? Scroll on down if you would, please. There you go. Oh, right there. May 20th. May 20th May 20th at the field house. I have my calendar. I put it on there. 8:30. Okay. Did we get this? Oh, thank you. May 2nd staff appreciation that Friday. And so Cass has been working hard to set get things nice for you guys.
And uh it'll be at Coyote Canyon Cafeteria. What? And um what time is that for? 11:00 a.m. Okay. When's that? May 2nd. May 2nd. Okay. May 2nd is what? Friday. Friday. Perfect. May. Yep. Perfect day. I'm out of town all all week long when the promotion comes, but I'll try to make the second. Okay. And uh that will that's also teacher appreciation week. So, uh you know, it's a good it works. It's a good time. It's a good time to have staff appreciation. 11 a.m. Which time? May 2nd, 11th for staff appreciation. Yeah. 11. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Coyote. Item 8.3, date, time, location for future meeting. The next meeting we have on calendar is May 15. Anybody not be able to be there? I'm going to have to check to see if that's the day I have to have the revised budget in. I just now thought of that.
Before that date or that day? I'll have to check. They're usually Oh, it has to be approved by the 15th and submitted by the 18th. Okay. So, we'll be okay. So, we will just be okay. Okay. Okie dokie. Thanks, Cass. Do I have a motion to adjourn this meeting? I make a motion we adjourn this meeting. Is there a second? Second the motion. All those in favor? I Melinda Sabraski. I Charlene Diaz. Hi Fred Rushton. Hi Barb Ziki. Hi Judy Reid. And I want to thank you. It's my first early meeting. You mean you're gonna be home before 10 o'clock? It's still a little longer than Yeah. Thank you, Cassie, for updating my book. Yes. Thank you, Cassie. Yes, indeed. I thought you had just had been lying to me. It's all because of you. Sorry. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] I'm here to [Music] Hey, hey, hey.
You're a part of a transformation. And you know what? Not everybody can say that. Not everybody can say that. Not every town can say that. So give yourselves a big round of applause as well. And John and Jamie, we wish you all the success, but most of all, thank you for making your story part of our story. And u we we love having community partners like you as businesses here in town.
Um, so cheers to my husband and um, cheers to Beth and to the town of Ashland. An amazing community. We're so um, happy to be a part of your story and have us be a part of your town and your main street, this beautiful street. um and everyone involved.