More than $1 million in new technology will soon be on the way to the new Newton High School, as the Newton County Board of Education approved at its meeting Tuesday the purchase of new equipment.
The board approved purchasing desktop computers from ByteSpeed, of Moorhead, Minn., in the amount of $397,020; laptops, laptop cards, docking stations and tablets from the Dell Corporation, of Round Rock, Texas, in the amount of $329,996; and a ViewPath system, an integrated audio-video solution, from Audio Enhancement Inc., of Bluffdale, Utah, for $513,002.
The total amount of the technology purchase is $1,240,018.
The desktops from ByteSpeed will be purchased utilizing an existing school system contract; and the laptops, laptop cards, docking stations and tablets will be purchased from the Dell Corporation using a State of Georgia statewide contract.
A competitively-bid contract managed by PEPPM, a national technology bidding and purchasing program, will purchase the ViewPath components needed for the school.
ViewPath is a fully integrated audio-video solution that combines Audio Enhancement’s audio systems, Security Alert for Education System and classroom and hallway cameras.
The system provides a number of teaching tools and enhancements, which includes:
•Distance learning and/or coaching
•Lessons for homebound students
•Classroom remediation and emergency notification
•After hours motion sensing
•Enhanced classroom audio for teachers, students and media.
Interactive projectors for the new NHS
In addition to the board approving the purchase of new technology for the new NHS, BOE members also approved renewing a contract with Summit Systems, a technology vendor from Buford, for interactive projectors.
Summit Systems provided the school system with the lowest bid for interactive projectors, with a bid of $618,072.
The company will provide interactive projectors at the replacement Newton High School and at other select
locations throughout the school system. The items would be purchased using capital funds.
School lunch prices to rise next school year
There will be an increase in student lunch prices, as the Newton County Board of Education approved a proposed 10-cent increase to lunch prices for all paid students for the 2013-14 fiscal school year, which begins July 1.
Elementary school lunch prices are increasing from $1.60 to $1.70, and secondary school lunches are going up from $1.85 to $1.95.
Breakfast meal prices will remain at the current level and not change.
Adult lunch meal prices will remain at $3, as they were increased from $2.75 to $3 last school year.
Adult meal prices are set at the total actual cost of a lunch meal plus the meal value of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture foods received by the district as required.
The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which passed in December 2010, included an amendment — the National School Lunch Program: School Food Service Account Revenue.
The amendment required for school food authorities participating in the National School Lunch Program to ensure sufficient funds were provided to the nonprofit school food service account for meals served to students who are not eligible for free or reduced price meals.
Newton County schools are increasing paid meal prices, as required by the regulations from the USDA.
Under the USDA rule, there are two ways for schools to meet the requirement, either through prices charged for paid meals or through other non-federal sources provided to the nonprofit school food service account.
School systems have previously used their a la carte sales — which were single item sales, such as the purchase of an orange or a carton of milk — to subsidize the cost of the paid meal.
However, under the Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the USDA has said school systems can’t subsidize the paid meal any other way except through donations or the 27 cents paid meal reimbursement.
