OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A multi-million dollar contract to buy replacement iPads for students and teachers is on hold in the Shawnee Mission School District.
Superintendent Michael Fulton pulled the proposal from the agenda before Monday night’s school board meeting. Instead, he wants to launch a year-long study on how efficient the tech devices are for students.
Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, the district provided an iPad or laptop to every student. Older students can take the devices home, younger students can only use them in the classroom.
District staff had proposed spending $9 million to replace thousands of iPads and buying new Apple TVs for classrooms.
The study will collect data to measure the extent of instruction happening with digital devices.
“No tool, digital or otherwise, is a sole cause of success or failure in student learning. How a teacher in teams of teachers use learning tools to support individual learners is the key to approve improve student learning outcomes,” Fulton said.
The school district will reconsider buying new technology when the study is complete next year.
Funding for the technology comes from a different budget than the one which pays teachers' salaries. The district continues to negotiate with teachers on their contracts.
Early on in Monday’s meeting, Fulton made another announcement about technology in school.
Beginning in August 2020, the district plans to block streaming websites like Netflix on student devices during school hours. People at Monday’s meeting applauded the announcement.
The change comes after many complaints from principals and parents about how students use their devices.
Between now and August, the district will put together a list of streaming and educational websites it will allow during school hours.
