Stafford County has enabled all of its students to have an electronic device for the next school year.
On June 16, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the purchase of 9,000 Chromebooks for students, a motion that has been in the works for months. Funding for the $1.1 million purchase will likely come from the CARES Act.
“We really know our children need this… I think coronavirus really underscored the fact that this is an opportunity to bring that technology back into their homes,” said Supervisor Cindy Shelton, Aquia District Representative.
The Chromebooks will have a 4-6 year replacement cycle, according to board documentation, as the laptops purchased this year will have an expiration date of June 2026. It is estimated that the total cost of ownership will be $75 per year, per Chromebook. If a device is broken, there is a one-year warranty on it, with an average cost of $25 per broken device outside of the warranty. These calculations are based on the most recent projections for student population growth.
“Chromebooks have been shown to be the most cost effective device for students in terms of total cost of ownership, including inventory, management of the devices, and ease of repair, (International Data Corporation, 2015). As an example, an experienced technician can replace a broken screen in under 15 minutes. We employ a spare parts and units model so that students have access to Chromebooks when they need them,” stated board documentation.
“For planning, we estimate $75 per year TCO, weighting closer to the 4-year cycle and not knowing the actual breakage rates. Currently, our break rate is very low, less than a tenth of this planned rate,” stated board documentation.
This purchase comes in the wake of Gov. Ralph Northam recently announcing this plan for the reopening of Virginia schools, an announcement that caused the Stafford School Board to consider delaying the beginning of the school year, staggering student schedules, and more. These in-person operations will only go into effect if Northern Virginia is in Phase 3 of the governor’s plan for reopening the state, currently, the region is only in Phase 2.
“The impact of the COVID-19 Health Emergency has heightened the need for students to have access to learning tools outside of the traditional in-school settings. One-to-one Chromebooks would provide for this need and assist the schools in implementing distance learning opportunities,” stated documentation from the board.
It is unknown when the newly purchased Chromebooks will arrive, but they will be in the hands of students in time for the start of the next school year.
