DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – The Darlington County School district has decided how it will spend the majority of its $5 million bond.
Projects the school board agreed on Friday morning total roughly $3.4 million. Principals in the district put together a list of projects to consider, with technology being a top priority.
Every student in Darlington County will get a laptop or iPad this school year.
“The future has a lot to do with technology, so it’s good to start early,” says Brian Joint, a Darlington County community member.
Joint says the more access students have to ever-changing technology, the better prepared they’ll be for further educations, technical schools, or the work force.
The Darlington County School Board plans to use $1.6 million from the capital projects bond for technology infrastructure.
“Years ago we were helped out from another fund source [the e- rate program],” says board member Jamie Morphis. “That has been eliminated.”
Morphis says the board will use bond money to make sure the laptops and Wi-Fi connections work properly for students. The district will also be able to follow new state requirements namely, to test all students online, explains Morphis.
“There’s so few districts that are really capable [of testing students online]. We are one of the few that are,” claims the board member.
The school board will have a revised list of projects at its next meeting to total $5 million. Members do not have to vote on the projects as long as they all agree.
