All students in the South Butler County School District will have a school-issued computer that is no more than one year old when the 2021-22 school year starts in the fall.

The school board on Wednesday night voted to approve the purchase of 465 new Chromebooks at a cost of almost $132,000.

The district will pay for the new units using the remaining funds in the district's Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant.

Superintendent David Foley explained that students in the elementary grades were issued Chromebooks when remote learning became necessary during the coronavirus pandemic.

The district spent about $40,000 to purchase the Chromebooks that were being used by students in grades six through 12, as the lease on the units was coming to an end.

Then secondary students received new units, and the leased ones were given to elementary students for at-home learning, Foley said. “We made sure we had them to get through the livestreaming of classes,” he said.

The Wednesday night purchase will ensure students in kindergarten through 12th grade have updated models that are no more than one year old when the new school year begins in the fall.

Another ESSER allocation of $2 million coming to the district requires that 20% of the funds are spent on recouping learning lost during the tumultuous education of students during the pandemic as districts across the state moved from remote learning to in-person classes and back to full- or part-time remote study as the school year progressed.

Foley recommended $56,000 of the upcoming ESSER distribution be used to purchase Think Stretch backpacks for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

He said the backpacks would contain reading material, a science kit, story journal, math workbook, family guide and other items to keep students interested in learning over the upcoming summer.

The materials would allow students to catch up on math and reading as well, Foley said.

Students in Title 1 Reading and learning support programs would receive an additional bag containing summer-reading books, flash cards, short-story readers, nonfiction books, activities, journals and other materials to inspire learning this summer, he said.

Foley said awards would be given to students who can show they have completed all the reading and activities inside the bag, and classroom awards could be given too.

No action was taken Wednesday night on the summer backpacks or bags.

Foley said the district will also offer summer school for all students, which will be optional for families.

“We sent a mailer to families explaining the dates and opportunities,” Foley said. “Many parents have responded with interest.”

He said students would be bused to and from summer school, which would be held from 8 a.m. to noon for elementary and middle school students.

“The high school might be a little different because students are working on credit recovery,” Foley said.

Students will receive breakfast and lunch at school, and a special field trip could be added to the program, he said.

The exact dates of summer school have not yet been finalized.

The costs for summer school could count toward the 20% of the latest ESSER grant that is required to be spent on recouping learning lost during the pandemic.