Whitnall considering tablet for students

Greenfield - Whitnall students may be toting district-issued tablet or laptop computers in their backpacks if the initiative survives School Board talks and becomes an official district goal. Thus far in the discussion, the idea of piloting such a program has received significant support.

The initiative, dubbed one-on-one, could eliminate the need for paper textbooks. A tablet - a super thin, touch-screen computer - is capable of holding multiple texts in its memory. Further, the devices are powerful enough to perform Internet searches and other functions students now use their school's desktop computers for, Superintendent Lowell Holtz said.

If all 2,400 students in the district are outfitted with iPads, the cost might be $1.2 million - or $300,000 annually for four years, he said. However, many Whitnall students already have their own tablets, so it might not be necessary to purchase one for every student.

Just how the district would pay for the one-on-one program still must be determined. One school district financed its switch to tablets or laptops by skipping a textbook purchase in favor of e-textbooks, he said.

Administrators are trying to determine which grades would benefit most.

The Milton School District has computers for students in grades six to 12 while others have started in kindergarten, Holtz said.

How soon the one-on-one initiative hits the schools will depend on whether the board adopts it as a goal, he said.

School Board President Bill Osterndorf supported the district getting its feet wet with a pilot program, rather than taking too much time to study the idea.

Board member Bernard Shaw said he wishes the one-on-one program and other goals were tied more closely with the district's strategic plan.

The board will discuss proposed goals in the future. The others are:

Conducting an energy study looking for savings and Energy Star ratings on school buildings.

Developing baseline achievement standards so that student progress can be monitored more accurately.

A June 2012 approval of a new strategic plan.

Update wireless infrastructure.