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Date: 9/28/2023
EAST LONGMEADOW — Information Technology Director Ryan Quimby reported to the East Longmeadow School Committee on Sept. 18 about the device insurance program in the schools.
There have been 1,568 support tickets received from the school department in the past 60 days. Quimby said that before the schools implemented a one-to-one program in which each student receives a device for schoolwork, the IT Department would see that many tickets over the entire school year. A third of the issues were related to Power School, an online platform used by the district and families. Another 219 of those tickets were requests for device support.
Eight of the school department’s devices, which cost about $250 each, needed replacement. Five of those replacements were due to intentional damage and the families were charged for the replacement, as stipulated in the agreement that parents must sign when devices are distributed. Quimby said the repair program has helped the district stay on top of device needs.
Since the insurance program was begun in 2019, the school department has collected $122,000 and spent $92,000 on replacements and repairs. Assistant Superintendent for Business Pamela Blair said the cost of the insurance program is reasonable, with fees of $30, $50, $75 or $100, depending on how many years students will need to use the device.
Moving on to the topic of artificial intelligence, School Committee Chair Gregory Thompson said he wanted to create a committee to address any issues that may arise, so schools are not “caught off-guard.” Quimby said that while AI might be useful for some tasks, “everyone working in the education space wants to keep the human element a part of [education.]”
Superintendent Gordon Smith agreed, saying, “That’s the exciting part is how we use it as a tool,” rather than banning AI altogether.
Audrey O’Neill, one of this year’s student representatives to the School Committee, shared that a teacher was able to use AI to grade assignments, while allowing students to receive teacher-driven feedback.
Food Services Director Lori Pahl updated the School Committee on how the state’s permanent free school meals program is working. Massachusetts, one of eight states that offers free meals to all students, funds the program using a portion of the 2022 Fair Share Amendment, which adds a 4% tax to income beyond $1 million.
The program requires the food distributed to be a “full, complete, healthy meal.” Individual items are considered a la carte and can be purchased separately.
For the school department to be reimbursed from the state, paperwork must be submitted for all students who meet the criteria for free or reduced meals under the National School Lunch Program. Free and reduced meal applications are sent home with every student at the beginning of the school year. Pahl said that even though meals are free, people should still apply to the program because people who fall within the income guidelines can receive reduced fees for busing and sports.
The Massachusetts reimbursement rate for this year is $4.38 for each lunch served. Pahl said the food costs about $3 per meal, which does not leave much to cover labor and other services. Food only makes up about 35% of the Food Services Department budget, while 55% of it consists of labor. To cut down on the cost of feeding students, Pahl said she orders food from the United States Department of Agriculture program and supplements it with food bought through the distributors.
Smith said costs regarding the construction of a new high school had been further delineated. If the town votes to approve funding the school on Nov. 7, the Massachusetts School Building Authority reimbursement rate for construction would be roughly $63 million, leaving the town responsible for $114 million of the $177.5 million price tag. Earlier estimates had shown a $55 million reimbursement.
The cost of repairing the school has also become clearer. Smith said that due to the cost for a new roof, “completely overhauled electrical system and extensive air conditioning and ventilation upgrades, the work would trigger a requirement to bring the building up to code. Altogether, it would cost about $120 million, none of which would be eligible for reimbursement from the MSBA. This means repair of the building would cost $6 million more than the town’s share of the new construction.
“We’re not looking to get a Mercedes in everything we do,” Smith said. “We’re looking at getting a building that will meet the needs of not only students and staff, but the community, and last for 50 years or longer.” Smith said the School Building Committee has “worked hard” to keep costs down. A final community forum on the project will be hosted at the high school on Thursday, Oct. 19.