By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Some Hays USD 489 school board members are questioning the need for touchscreens as a feature on computers for the Hays Middle School students.

The board was set to vote on the replacement of 680 computers at HMS at its meeting on Monday. The purchase is part of a four-year rotation of computer buying for the district.

The district technology committee looked at three different devices for the HMS students.

These included replacing the school’s iPads with new iPads. Over four years, the computers would cost $254,320, which is less than the $290,000 the district budgeted for replacement.

Chromebooks with the same capabilities would cost $317,612 with a significantly lower resale value at the end of four years. A Windows device was significantly above budget at a cost of $344,071.

If the district bought iPads, the technology committee planned on not buying new devices for teachers. The district also would not have to pay for professional learning time if it stayed with the iPads.

The technology committee conducted a study this fall on the use of Chromebooks at HMS, in an elementary classroom and at the Learning Center. After the study, the committee concluded the iPads better met the learning needs of the district’s students.

Members of the board still questioned if the iPads were the correct purchase for the district.

Board member Paul Adams said, “I am interested, and the other board members are, in the reasons touch is such a vital need.”

Adams wanted to know what touchscreens were being used for besides annotation while reading.

“It’s not what you want; it’s what you are using,” he said.

Nineteen HMS teachers out of 32 indicated in a survey PDF annotation was important to students mastering learning objectives.

Board member Luke Oborny suggested staff email teachers to gather more information about how the touchscreens are being used in their classrooms.

Scott Summers, technology director, said teachers provide worksheets to students via their tablets, and they use the touchscreen to write with a stylus or draw with their finger to complete those assignments. The teachers then use the touchscreens to grade the worksheets.

Superintendent John Thissen also said during an Eagle Morning Show interview Tuesday, teachers use a variety of free educational game apps that are touchscreen based.

The technology committee checked with other similar-sized schools to see what type of devices they were using.

Board member Lance Bickle noted 15 of 23 of the schools were using Chromebooks.

“If there was a big price discrepancy or a difference in there … We are not the only district that struggles with cost. I’m just curious of what they are doing differently that we are not seeing,” he said.

Bickle added, “At the end of the day, I am merely looking at this from a cost standpoint. That is the biggest part I have struggled with, especially seeing this list. I know that most of these other districts are not using touch. I am just trying to see how they are getting around it. I am sure there are advantages and pros and cons each way. I don’t know what those are.”

Bickle also questioned if district needed video editing software on all of the devices in the school. The editing software is included on the iPads but would have to purchased for the Chromebooks.

Board member Greg Schwartz said he thought the district is spending too much from the capital outlay budget on technology.

“In the time we have started the one-to-one initiative at the high school to now, I think we have spent probably between $15 to $20 million on technology. All of it is coming out of the capital outlay fund. The next item on our agenda is to look at the bond issue. If I am right and it is $20 million, that’s an elementary school.

“You could have had an elementary school that is still here and around as we are seeing most of our stuff last three years and it is worth between $10 and $60. It really has zero value. There were educational uses for that, and hopefully the students learned and got some benefits back out of that, but I am still waiting for that study that definitively shows our investment in technology is paying back dividends.”

Schwartz also questioned if other districts were paying for their technology out of capital outlay.

The board is set to reconsider the computer purchase at its March 25 meeting.