By Tom Gilchrist
For The Advertiser
CASS CITY — Cass City Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Hartel estimates it would cost about $500,000 for the school district to create a “one-to-one” ratio of students to computers, with every pupil receiving a device such as an iPad.
While Cass City’s Board of Education hasn’t proposed such a move, three board members on Monday night joined with teachers on a district Technology Committee to set future priorities.
“We’ve got a lot of things to discuss and a lot of decisions to be made,” said Lyle Severance, the district’s technology director, addressing the board Monday night.
Board members Alice Zaleski, Daniel Manwell and Jeff Loomis agreed to join the committee, which includes Severance and teachers including Jeni Green, Christina Swiderski and Julie Bitzer.
“I don’t think we’re expecting anyone to jump in and say, like, ‘Oh, everybody gets a computer next year,’” Swiderski said.
But by instituting a “one-to-one” learning environment or by having more laptop computers available for students, “then there’s more opportunity to integrate our curriculum with technology,” Swiderski told the board.
Cass City schools lack computer “lab space” where teachers can instruct students on computer usage, according to Swiderski.
“That’s why the push is for a one-to-one program: The kid always has a device in front of him to do the projects, to do the research,” Severance said. “The teacher doesn’t have to schedule one of the three labs and find out all the other teachers are trying to get to that lab. The (students) have a device there in front of them. I realize that costs money, but you have to look at the pros and cons.”
Hartel said the Technology Committee needs to set priorities. “What’s more important: getting a fiberoptic cable or getting more iPads?” Hartel asked.
Deciding how much money to spend on technology isn’t easy, according to board Secretary Sloane Stimpfel.
“It’s just so hard, because we also know we need probably three buses and we need this and we need that,” Stimpfel said.
“Our bus fleet’s getting old,” Hartel added.
Hartel recommended that Severance and other Technology Committee members study or visit school districts that have implemented a “one-to-one” computer/student ratio.
“I’m sure there are schools further along into it where (employees) would say ‘Geez, don’t do it’ or ‘No, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done,’” Hartel said.
In other moves Monday, the school board voted to hire Nikolas Hopp as a special-education teacher for five-sevenths of each school day.
The board postponed its discussion about possibly selling the former Campbell Elementary School. The board meets again at 7 p.m. on Dec. 16.
Board members in April voted 5 to 2 to lease — but not sell — part of the vacant school to a group planning a nonprofit dental clinic for low-income adults. But representatives of the proposed Thumb Area Dental Clinic haven’t signed a lease agreement yet.
In other news, Hartel reported results of a survey of district residents about what type of school calendar they prefer, with 45 percent of 225 respondents favoring the “traditonal” calendar where students have summers off from about early June until late August.
Hartel said he was surprised, though, that 36 percent of the respondents favored an alternative calendar where students would attend 45 days of school, followed by 10 days off and with a shorter six-week summer vacation.