Washington Co. School District buys 900 new student laptops

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Laptops and other technology have become more necessary for students, and after COVID, that became even more obvious.

“The computer offers a backup system if a student was absent which has happened multiple times in COVID,” Roulhac Middle School Principal Nancy Holley said.

With the half cent sales tax implemented in 2018, the Washington County School District is now able to make sure their students are prepared.

“The blessing of the half cent sales tax is when I purchase something in Washington County, that half cent comes right back here to our students and our teachers to be used on technology and facilities,” Senior Data Systems Analyst Tiffany McKinney said.

With nearly half a million dollars saved from the half cent tax, the school district purchased 900 new laptops for students. All Washington County 6th and 9th graders will be receiving new laptops this year for at school use.

We’re told this will maintain the district’s one-to-one student to technology ratio.

“We have some equipment that is aging out, we’ve had it for six or seven years now,” McKinney said. “This half cent sales tax is affording us the opportunity to refresh that.”

Officials said they believe making sure students have updated and reliable technology helps them learn both in the classroom and when they can’t be there.

“They see all our resources that our school district has to offer to them, which is ready for them and meets them at an individual level,” Holley said.

In addition to the 900 student laptops, some teachers will receive new technology as well.

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