SD 227 board members get new iPads
BY SARAH ZYLSTRA Correspondent December 4, 2011 9:08PM
Updated: January 6, 2012 8:11AM
New iPads soon will be in the hands of Rich Township High School District 227 board members even though the district is struggling to deal with a
$5.2 million budget deficit.
Six of the seven board members will get the new district-issued iPads to reduce the need for paper documents, according to Supt. Donna Simpson Leak.
The board members already were issued laptops to reduce the need for copying services and paper, but they’ve moved away from using them and some find them too cumbersome to cart to meetings.
Only board member Cheryl Coleman declined the iPad.
“The computer I have is fine,” she said. “They may be antiquated, but the speed is fine. Everything functions fine. I think everybody wants the new up-and-coming equipment. I don’t think it’s needed right now.”
The newest iPads, the iPad 2 with an upgraded operating system and other new features, start at $499 apiece, according to the Apple Store website.
“Everybody says they’re here for the student,” Coleman said. “But every decision we make indirectly affects in a negative way the student, including the purchase of the iPad. We’re taking education out of their mouths to make ourselves more comfortable.”
Board Member Alyssa Hernandez said the new technology will only reduce paper use if the board members use it.
“Let’s really get back to why we had these in the first place,” she said. “Or else we’re just making policy and doing things just to do them.”
