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School Committee OKs $75K Chromebox Order

[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] Warwick Public Schools Administration is located at 69 Draper Ave.

[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] Warwick Public Schools Administration is located at 69 Draper Ave.
[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] Warwick Public Schools Administration is located at 69 Draper Ave.
WARWICK, RI – The School Committee approved purchase of Chromeboxes to replace the ActiveConnect Android devices on each Promethean Board in the Warwick School Department’s four secondary schools Wednesday night.

The request was made by the Technology Department.

“After a careful examination of the issues concerning the WIFI at the secondary level, it was determined that the Android ActiveConnect devices are negatively impacting our WIFI,” wrote Jeff Taylor, the Director of Technology, in a Feb. 12 letter to Robert Baxter, the district’s Executive Director of Finance and Operations.

“Additionally, it should be noted that these devices have reached a point where replacement is necessary,” Taylor continued. “It is important to underscore how important both the utilization of the Promethean Boards, as well as strong WIFI speeds are to delivering instruction to students in-person, as well as at home.”

Whalley Computer Associates, based in Southwick, Massachusetts will be paid $75,257 for the equipment.

Committee Chairwoman Judy Cobden explained the Chromeboxes were “Key to having our schools run properly during COVID. This is definitely something that we need right now when we’re having distance learning and in-person.”

The Committee also approved the purchase of stands for the 194 Promethean Boards purchased for the elementary schools at $81,480. The Laptop shelves for the Promethean stands cost an additional $11, 446.

Fifty-one teachers are looking to make their Promethean boards mobile. The expenditure is expected to be covered in the next round of Covid Relief Monies, Taylor noted.

The next school committee meeting is March 9.

Joe Siegel
Author: Joe Siegel

Joe Siegel is a regular contributing writer for WarwickPost.com. His reporting has appeared in The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro and EDGE.

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