Board members unanimously approved $1 million in new technology spending during a special meeting May 7th.
Magnet grant campuses East Texas Montessori Prep Academy, Ned E. Williams Elementary, Ware East Texas Montessori Academy, Forest Park Middle School, and Longview High School will receive more than 100 Smart Boards, at a total cost of about $750,000. 'Smart Boards' are interactive whiteboards that can display information from a computer onto the teaching surface.
Campuses will also receive more 'Chromebook' laptop computers and various other educational devices.
Funding for the magnet program comes from a $15.3 million grant received last year, to be distributed over five years.
LISD Magnet Grant Program Director Dr. Craig Coleman said using grant funds on technology allows the district to use local funds on other needs.
“We have a lot of funding that is helping us to change the environment of those campuses,” he said. “We’re trying to get them to a one-to-one device situation and environment on all of those campuses.”
Superintendent Dr. James Wilcox said the primary benefit of this technology 'is the delivery of instruction.'
“We’ll have the latest technology in white boards that are interactive with what the students are doing in the class,” Wilcox said. “It’s just a tool for our teachers, and our students are so techno-savvy now that they enjoy the interaction with the technology.”
Later the board unanimously approved a proposal from the district Curriculum & Instruction Department restructuring staffing for the Special Education Department.
“We're just changing a little bit of some of our supervisory positions,' Wilcox added. 'These changes were made due to the retirement of a couple longtime staffers, and so we're restructuring that department to make the most the effective use of staff, but no teaching positions will be effected.'
For more info
Trustees usually meet in the boardroom of the LISD Education Support Center, 1301 E. Young St. The next regular meeting is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. May 20th.
For more information about the Longview ISD Board of Trustees please click here.