EDUCATION BRIEFS
News from Keller & Northwest ISDs
COMPILED BY MARK FADDEN & CODY THORN
HIGHLIGHTS NORTHWEST ISD Three new elementary school principals were announced during the Feb. 27 Northwest ISD board of trustees meeting to begin their new roles after the 2022-23 school year concludes. Amanda Bomar, Erin Appling and Sarah Thornell were named principals of Hughes, Roanoke and Sendera Ranch elementary schools, respectively. Bomar serves as principal of Pecan Creek Elementary School in Denton ISD, where she has led since 2019. Appling joins the district from Keller ISD, where she has served as an elementary principal since 2018. She serves as principal of Parkview Elementary School. NISD promoted Thornell to become the next principal of Sendera Ranch. She is the assistant principal of J.C. Thompson Elementary School. Keller ISD board of trustees meets April 24 at 6 p.m. 350 Keller Parkway, Keller www.kellerisd.net Northwest ISD board of trustees meets April 10 and 24 at 6 p.m. 2001 Texan Drive, Fort Worth www.nisdtx.org MEETINGS WE COVER
Board voices concern with $21M computer contract KELLER ISD The board of trustees are taking a wait- and-see approach after technology improvements were proposed but not voted on during the Feb. 27 meeting. A more than $21 million contract to replace aging Randklev said. The contract for the computers would be a four-year lease, but Randklev noted his trouble in passing a more than $20 million expenditure when the district is already looking at a possible deficit in the fiscal year 2023-24 budget. Another point of contention was the lifespan of the
computers for students in grades 5-12 was on the agenda, but ultimately Superintendent Rick Westfall pulled it from the agenda after a number of trustees questioned the cost, which was $2.1 million—10% of the total cost of the lease for new Microsoft Surface devices—this year. The Google Chromebooks the district uses are at the end of their life cycle, according to a report from the technol- ogy department. With the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test moving to an online-only format this year, this will be the last year the Chromebooks would be able to accommodate the state testing due to the age of the technology. “I’m frustrated with the state; they are requiring us to do [the STAAR] online but don’t provide any compensa- tion. I think that is ridiculous,” Board President Dr. Charles
Microsoft computers is five years, but the lease is for four years, giving a one-year gap if there are issues with them. The contract would provide around 23,000 computers, officials said during the meeting. Place 1 Trustee Micah Young questioned how the district would pay for it, mentioning the uncertainty of a bond passage if it was needed to pay for the computers. “It is a real struggle for me,” he said. Years two and three of the contract is a nearly $8 million per year payment to Microsoft. “This unfunded mandate puts us between a rock and a hard place,” Place 5 Trustee Bev Dixon said.
COMPUTING CHANGES Keller ISD is looking to replace computers for students in grades 5-12 for the 2023-24 school year.
$2.1M cost for year one for Microsoft Surface computers $8M cost for year three for Microsoft Surface computers
$8M cost for year two for Microsoft Surface computers $2.9M cost for year four for Microsoft Surface computers
$21M total
SOURCE: KELLER ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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KELLER - ROANOKE - NORTHEAST FORT WORTH EDITION • MARCH 2023
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