Apr 20, 2018 By Jacob Calvin Meyer staff Writer jmeyer@thealmanac.Net 3 min read

The South Fayette School Board made another financial commitment to the district’s one-to-one technology initiative April 17.

The board finalized a four-year contract with Dell Financial for 1,050 laptops, 1,000 for Intermediate School students and 50 for teachers. The cost will be $156,579 per year, or $626,316 over four years.

The board voted on the item during its March 27 meeting after network systems administrator Rob Warfield presented to the board several contract options, for about $5,000 more a year. Director of Finance Brian Tony updated the board April 17 of the updated dollar amount.

Tony said after the meeting that this contract is the third installment of many in the district’s technology initiative. Every contract is for four years and the district will cycle through its four schools with each future contract. In 2019, the first contract with HP from 2015 expires, and the next contract will be for the middle school.

“We’re trying to go building by building,” Tony said. “Over the next four years we’ll go each building at a time. That way it’ll be on a four-year rotation.”

Also during the meeting, Assistant Superintendent David Deramo said the Office of Civil Rights has notified the district that certain aspects of its website aren’t in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“We’ve initiated a team to put together a resolution agreement, which the OCR has accepted,” Deramo said. “We are constantly evaluating and making changes as we can throughout the course of this.”

South Fayette’s website contract ends in June, and Superintendent Ken Lockette said the administration is looking at vendors now.

Meeting notes:

• With William Newcomer resigning from the school board earlier this month, Lockette said the district opened up interviews this week for someone to fill the remainder of Newcomer’s term. Lockette said there is no timetable for when the replacement will be announced.
• The board discussed the consistency in uniform colors among the district’s sports teams. Athletic Director Mark Keener informed the board of exceptions to uniforms that allow sports teams to wear the color black instead of the school’s specific shade of green and white. The board also discussed the potential of a $1,000 stipend for the hockey club–a PIHL non-PIAA sport–to help offset the cost of individual families paying for helmets.
• Brian Tony, director of finance, discussed several different budgets to the board. Tony will present the overall budget summary, with a projected millage increase, to the board next week.