The Smart Schools Bond Act was passed in the 2014-15 Enacted NYS Budget and approved by the voters in a statewide referendum held during the 2014 General Election November 4, 2014. The Smart Schools Bond Act (SSBA) authorized the issuance of $2 billion of general obligation bonds to finance improved educational technology and infrastructure to improve learning and opportunity for students throughout the State.

The Reece School has received an allocation of up to $24,555.00 to improve learning opportunities for students by funding capital project needs. There are four available categories of funding: School Connectivity, Classroom Technology, Replacement of Transportable Classroom Units, and High-Tech Security. Under the Classroom Technology category, the Reece School plans to purchase sixty-six ASUS Chromebook laptops (C202SA) for student use; six ASUS Chromebook (C202SA) laptops for use by teaching assistants; and seven DELL Latitude (3190) laptops for use by teachers. We do not plan to spend any funds in any of the other three categories.

Students will use these new machines to receive all manner of instruction, including, but not limited to, the use of Google Applications for Education and potentially online testing. Most importantly, Reece students who use these new Chromebooks will learn how to engage with technology in a way that better prepares them for success in high school – indeed, in the majority of public schools within New York City.

These purchases will also improve our teachers’ ability to perform many of their daily tasks – from generating class reports to administrative record keeping to accessing their school email accounts to enabling research on the Internet for curriculum-development and enrichment purposes. Specifically, many of our teachers utilize their computers to create lesson plans and other instructional guides that require access to the absolute latest in best practices – information that is often available only through online resources and databases that require modern hardware and software for optimized performance.

Given the ubiquity and utility of Google devices, the Reece School is actively moving towards a more Google-centric environment. With funding allocated specifically for acquisition of new classroom technology, purchasing Chromebook laptops as part of the Reece School’s Smart Schools Investment Plan (SSIP) make the most sense. While Chromebooks are cheaper than most other portable computers, they provide all of the functionality that the school, its students, and its teachers need.

The Reece School is required to submit an SSIP to demonstrate how Smart Schools Bond Act funds will be used to provide the technological tools our students and teachers need to ensure that all those who attend the Reece School are prepared for a successful future. After a thorough review, the school identified an urgent need to modernize the computers our students and teachers use and rely upon for academic enrichment and facilitation. This assessment forms the foundation for Reece’s proposed SSIP.

The SSBA Guidelines may be downloaded here; or, visit the NYSED SSBA website for additional information.

*NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC*

The the Reece School’s Board of Trustees has formally approved this plan at its meeting on 11/11/19. A 30-day public comment period is now underway for all interested parents and stakeholders to provide feedback regarding the school’s pending submission of its Smart Schools Investment Plan (SSIP).

The SSBA Guidelines may be downloaded here; or, visit the NYSED SSBA websitefor additional information.

All interested parties are welcome and encouraged to submit their comments either electronically by emailing paulo@souza@reeceschool.org or in writing. Please address all written comments to:

Paulo H Souza
The Reece School25 E. 104^th St.
New York, NY 10029