Homer CCSD 33C
Goodings Grove Luther J. Schilling William E. Young William J. Butler
Hadley Middle Homer Jr. High
Contact: Charla Brautigam, Communications/Public Relations Manager
cbrautigam@homerschools.org | 708-226-7628
For Immediate Release:
Nov. 19, 2015
Laptop conversion to save Homer 33C taxpayers more than $100,000
In an ongoing effort to save money and be good financial stewards, Homer School District 33C has found another way to save taxpayer dollars.
Arlene Siefert, the district’s Director of Technology, reported at the Nov. 17 school board meeting that her team has found a way to convert 500 aging laptops to Chromebooks using CloudReady.
The conversion will not only make it faster and easier for students to access information but save the district more than $100,000 by not having to replace antiquated equipment.
“We were challenged to find innovative ways to meet student needs while saving the district money,” said Siefert. “Through research, we found CloudReady.”
CloudReady is a full operating system (OS) that makes computers function like Chromebooks. It runs one thing — a browser — keeping machines fast and responsive.
Siefert estimates it will cost $23,500 to convert 500 laptops. Had the district gone out and purchased 500 new Chromebooks, it would have cost $125,000.
Students use the Chromebooks for everything from research and note-taking to quizzes and group engaged projects.
The district plans to convert 300 laptops immediately, enabling students to use them for PARCC testing in the spring.
The remaining 200 laptops will be converted to Chromebooks in the summer.
