College Community moving toward laptops for all high school students

Prairie High School took its first step toward putting computers in the hands of all students.

College Community board directors approved a resolution authorizing the preparation of educational and technological specifications for a 1:1 computer program for the district's high school students during its board meeting Monday, Sept. 19, 2011.

Assuming board directors continue the process, the district hopes to have a laptop for every student beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.

The district committee for digital literacy will meet today to begin discussing the particulars of those specifications. Vendors from different computer companies will visit on Oct. 25 to demonstrate their products.

Director Randy Bauer pointed out that this resolution doesn't commit the district to a 1:1 program.

"This commits us to looking into it," he said.

Director Dot Pospischil said she wanted the committee to look at some of the technology issues Prairie High School's G Squared program was having to make sure they would not be replicated in a 1:1 program.

Prior to the meeting, board directors bid a fond farewell to director Norm Zahradnik, who attended his last meeting as a director Monday.

Zahradnik, who has chosen not to run for re-election, has been on the board for 22 years, and his father served as a director prior going back to the district's consolidation.

Bauer estimates that Zahradnik attended at least 350 meetings during his tenure.

"When you put that in perspective, that's one meeting a night for an entire year," Bauer said.

Zahradnik may be leaving, but his family is remaining a part of the district through his daughter Angela Ehle, who ran unopposed for Zahradnik's seat. Ehle was not present at the meeting due to a previous engagement, and will be sworn in at the board's October meeting. Director John Titler also was absent.

The board swore in returning directors Bauer, Pospischil and Greg Kelsey, who also ran unopposed. Bauer and Kelsey unanimously were re-elected by the board to their previous positions of president and vice president.

They also passed the first reading of a policy for allowing community use of the newly renovated John W. Wall Stadium. The new policies set priority use for Prairie High School and Prairie Point, while also setting rates for non-College Community Groups to rent the stadium.

School lunch price increases needed to be increased in order to maintain even levels of funding. Superintendent Richard Whitehead said that the increase was necessary due to an imbalance in the portion of the lunch being funded by federal subsidies. The minimum price increased by five cents for K-12 students to range between $2.05 and $2.20 depending on grade level,  and 25 cents for adult lunches to $3.00.