Scottsdale Unified School District officials are scaling back their request for tax money to improve technology in classrooms, at least for the time being.
Superintendent John Baracy said Thursday he plans to ask the governing board Tuesday night to approve a $45 million capital override election for Nov. 7.
That amount is little more than half of what he originally outlined in January, when his plan called for $89 million over a seven-year period.
It means that, due to district growth, the measure will not cause property taxes to increase, he said.
The money will fund five years of the technology plan, said Ernie Nicely, director of informational technology services. The district will eventually ask voters to approve the remainder of the necessary funds.
“We did something we felt was reasonable for our community and for our taxpayers,” Baracy said of the plan to break the cost into two parts.
Last year, Nicely and a group of business and community members created
the technology plan, which calls for providing personal computer tablets to all high school freshmen.
The plan also includes: Replacing obsolete computers on a five-year schedule, upgrading telephone and intercom systems, providing training to help teachers use the technology effectively and equipping classrooms with wireless Internet technology.
Out of the $45 million, Nicely said 70 percent of the money will go directly into the classroom, with the remainder paying for infrastructure improvements and administration.
“This will vault us beyond any of the other districts in the state,” he said.
