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Schools

New Computers, Server Approved by Racine Unified Board

Most of the laptops will be used to replace damaged computers.

Update, 4 pm: A Racine Unified spokesperson confirmed via email that laptops being replaced predominantly were assigned to teachers for use in the classroom. Damage is primarily caused by spilled liquids throughout the course of the school day.

"The laptop is our teachers' primary teaching and learning tool. It is vital that they are able to use them each day. The laptops play a critical role in teaching and learning in all RUSD classrooms."

Original Story: New laptops and a new server to back up district records were approved with unanimous votes at the Nov. 21 School Board business meeting. Purchase totals come to $125,526.91. 

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The district will lease 50 Apple MacBook Pro laptops at a cost not to exceed $60,628. About 40 of the laptops will be used to replace ones that have been damaged and are no longer covered under warranty. Ten more will be kept as spare replacements, said Unified Network Administrator Randy Langer.

Included in that total is a four-year hardware warranty and the funds will come from the Information Systems department budget. The average cost of each laptop comes to $1,212. New MacBook Pro laptops retail in price anywhere from $1,199 to $1,499, according to the apple.com website.

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The purchase is relatively small, representing about .6 percent of the district’s fleet of 8,000 computers. Still, some board members expressed concern that computers were being damaged. Board member Kim Plache said that if she broke equipment at her workplace, she would be personally responsible for it.

“We do a review of each of these situations that come in,” said Unified Chief Financial Officer Dave Hazen, referring to each broken laptop. “We look at it and say what happened. If we notice it’s the same employee, they could be subject to personnel action.”

The board also approved the purchase of a new data backup server and related software licenses at a cost not to exceed $64,898.91 from Core BTS.

Langer said the purchase was badly needed, as the current method of data backup is very inefficient.

“Some of our most critical data is still backed up to tapes,” Langer said. “It takes a full day just to back up one server.”

The new system, which will have the capacity for 59 terabytes of data, will more than hold the district’s current six terabytes of information.

Core BTS was chosen after the district put out a call for bids; three different quotes came in for the equipment, Langer said.

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