School makes big investment in technology

North Iowa Community School will spend more than usual on technology upgrades for the coming school year, as the School Board approved a technology plan totaling $424,215 at its May meeting.

Some of the big expenses this year include replacing tablets for elementary students, purchasing laptops for staff, software licensing, and upgrading the phone system. While the expenses are higher than usual this year, Brian Blodgett of Next Generation Technologies says they will fit within the budget of the district’s five-year strategic technology plan.

“There are additional expenses that make this an especially large year,” said North Iowa Supt. Joe Erickson. “All faculty will have laptops next year to be able to prepare lessons and communicate. We also are purchasing iPads for the elementary. Initially, these were not included on our five-year strategic plan, but are now included, so they will be budgeted for in future years. This helps us avoid having one year with exceptionally large expenses.”

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