D300 Advertises For Computer Lease Plan In Savings Move

The District 300 Board Finance Committee Wednesday reviewed a plan to spread out the cost of "new" computers and monitors which are being shipped for installation this Summer.  A legal ad requesting three-year lease proposals was published Wednesday morning.

The full Board approved buying used but refurbished equipment to replace 1,100 aggressively obsolete computers and 600 similarly elderly monitors.  That slashed the $1.4 million cost of upgrades to only about $400,000.  The lease plan is to avoid taking the hit all at once.  D300 Tech Chief Eric Willard said the big question was how much interest leasing companies will want.  The last time the District did a similar lease it cost 6 percent Willard said but now rates are at historic lows. "We can do much better than that," he said.

How much better?

"I don't want to say. I don't want to give (vendors) a target to shoot at," said Willard.

In the pic:  Besides a computer lease plan the D300 Finance Committee also reviewed a list of budget priorities for the coming year.  "I'm glad to see (lowering) class size is as at the top of the wish list," said Member Dave Alessio.