In a few months Pueblo City Schools is expected to get a major upgrade in technology.
The district says computers and other classroom technology are maxed out, a point teachers made at the Colorado State Capitol on Friday.
Earlier this week the school board approved spending just over $1 million for the upgrade.
Keep in mind that this comes from the district’s capital budget which is different than the general fund that is used to pay teacher salaries. In the capital budget money is set aside each year for facility needs, infrastructure, and technology.
"The technology’s not only going to help the kids, but it’s going to also help the teachers teach better."
As a parent and someone studying to be a teacher, Kristen Torres knows just how vital it is for kids to have the best tools at their fingertips.
Torres said, "They’re going to need that extra technology as they go into middle school, high school. They need that advancement to succeed in life."
The advancement she’s referencing is on the horizon for Pueblo City Schools.
Dalton Sprouse, communications manager for D60, said, "I think we’re hearing about it statewide of people saying that…we really need better technology."
Sprouse says the concern for D60 is the age of it’s equipment.
"We figure the…average lifespan of something like a Chromebook is anywhere between three and five years. We have many that are older than six years."
Another concern is that many computers are still running Windows 7.
"Those machines are maxed out. In other words, they can’t upgrade to Windows 8 or newer."
Taking steps to improve these issues started last summer.
Sprouse said, "We were polling staff on what their needs were, what they thought would be most valuable, which products they preferred."
With the board’s latest budget approval, the plan is to recycle current machines and replace them with newer ones.
Torres said, "I think that’s going to benefit the kids. I think that’s going to help them go to college, help them progress in life."
Sprouse says while the district has budgeted $1 million for these tech improvements it will actually end up spending only about $300,000 because of discounts it gets through an E-rate program.
Installation of the new technology is expected to start this fall.
