By Juan Montoya
We know that there will be about 5,000 of them purchased.
We also know that each will cost approximately $300.
And we know that they will be Android OS Tablets.
We also know that the total amount the lucky vendor will rake in will be $1.5 million.
The justification for the purchase, according to the Brownsville Independent School District administration, is to “to support and encourage reading opportunities."
We also know that along with the tablet will be included a keyboard and that the tablet will be loaded with software to provide one year of internet access to every fifth-grade student and their teachers and will "make the tools of modern technology available to the students."
We also know that the $1.5 million price tag was based on the Texas Association of School Boards BuyBoard Contract #498-15 for Technology Equipment, Supplies, Software, Telecommunications Products, Asset Disposal/Recovery.
There are 142 such companies who can provide the BISD with such services listed on the BuyBoard and that 44 of them are denoted as women and minority vendors.
That was the reason why BISD trustee Cesar Lopez abstained from voting on the item. Lopez works for the TASB BuyBoard and his voting for the purchase of an item (especially one costing $1.5 million) would constitute a conflic of interest.
This much we know from information culled from the Sept. 6 meeting where Brownsville Independent School District Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas made the proposal to the full board.
Since it appears from the information and specifications given out to the public in bits and pieces that the district's administration had pretty much settled on a specific product and perhaps even a vendor from whom the tablets would be purchased.
The district has said in so many words that it will purchase:
*5,000 tablets
*A one-year internet contract for all 5,000 tablets that will give students who don't have internet in their homes the ability to hook up to it.
*The Tablets will have to be Android OS tablets with a package of literacy software
We also know that along with the tablet will have a keyboard and will be loaded with software “to support and encourage reading opportunities for our students,” Zendejas said.
Since the statements to the board of trustees and to several media organs seemed to be pretty specific on what the administration wanted, we wondered whether the district had narrowed down the
specifications of the tablets and had decided on some vendor from among those listed on the BuyBoard and made our request to see whether there were some local links on the vendor(s).
BuyBoards are typically set up to allow school districts to avoid having to go through the rigors of drawing up specs, issuing Requests For Proposals (RFPs), and to bypass competitive bidding, we wondered whether the district had a specific vendor already in mind when it got the board's approval to make the $1.5 million purchase.
On Sept. 8, we emailed BISD an information request that said:
"Dear Ms.(Elizabeth) Garza, I would like background on the agenda item passed this Tuesday. I want to know the name of the company, the principals and all other pertinent information related to this purchase. Seller, representatives, company name, tablet manufacturer, Internet service provider, etc."
The response we got Sept. 22 (exactly 10 working days later as required by law) indicated that the purchase of the tablets was far from a done deal.
"At this time, the computer tablets for BISD fifth grade students have not been purchased. The BISD Purchasing Department is completing a bid solicitation to determine the best value since categorical funds are being used in the purchase."
We know that there will be about 5,000 of them purchased.
We also know that each will cost approximately $300.
And we know that they will be Android OS Tablets.
We also know that the total amount the lucky vendor will rake in will be $1.5 million.
The justification for the purchase, according to the Brownsville Independent School District administration, is to “to support and encourage reading opportunities."We also know that along with the tablet will be included a keyboard and that the tablet will be loaded with software to provide one year of internet access to every fifth-grade student and their teachers and will "make the tools of modern technology available to the students."
We also know that the $1.5 million price tag was based on the Texas Association of School Boards BuyBoard Contract #498-15 for Technology Equipment, Supplies, Software, Telecommunications Products, Asset Disposal/Recovery.
There are 142 such companies who can provide the BISD with such services listed on the BuyBoard and that 44 of them are denoted as women and minority vendors.
That was the reason why BISD trustee Cesar Lopez abstained from voting on the item. Lopez works for the TASB BuyBoard and his voting for the purchase of an item (especially one costing $1.5 million) would constitute a conflic of interest.This much we know from information culled from the Sept. 6 meeting where Brownsville Independent School District Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas made the proposal to the full board.
Since it appears from the information and specifications given out to the public in bits and pieces that the district's administration had pretty much settled on a specific product and perhaps even a vendor from whom the tablets would be purchased.
The district has said in so many words that it will purchase:
*5,000 tablets
*A one-year internet contract for all 5,000 tablets that will give students who don't have internet in their homes the ability to hook up to it.
*The Tablets will have to be Android OS tablets with a package of literacy software
We also know that along with the tablet will have a keyboard and will be loaded with software “to support and encourage reading opportunities for our students,” Zendejas said.
Since the statements to the board of trustees and to several media organs seemed to be pretty specific on what the administration wanted, we wondered whether the district had narrowed down the
specifications of the tablets and had decided on some vendor from among those listed on the BuyBoard and made our request to see whether there were some local links on the vendor(s).
BuyBoards are typically set up to allow school districts to avoid having to go through the rigors of drawing up specs, issuing Requests For Proposals (RFPs), and to bypass competitive bidding, we wondered whether the district had a specific vendor already in mind when it got the board's approval to make the $1.5 million purchase.
On Sept. 8, we emailed BISD an information request that said:
"Dear Ms.(Elizabeth) Garza, I would like background on the agenda item passed this Tuesday. I want to know the name of the company, the principals and all other pertinent information related to this purchase. Seller, representatives, company name, tablet manufacturer, Internet service provider, etc."
The response we got Sept. 22 (exactly 10 working days later as required by law) indicated that the purchase of the tablets was far from a done deal.
"At this time, the computer tablets for BISD fifth grade students have not been purchased. The BISD Purchasing Department is completing a bid solicitation to determine the best value since categorical funds are being used in the purchase."
Zendejas also said that BISD hopes to have the computers in the students’ hands by late October so they can use them for their assignments over the Thanksgiving holiday.
We are not purchasing experts, but perhaps the October timetable that the BISD had in mind may have been a little ambitious and it may take a little longer now that they are putting the purchase out for bids instead of merely choosing someone from the BuyBoard list of vendors.
Or did we get in the way of something we shouldn't have?
19 comments:
Juegala fria, ese. La estufa es caliente y te puedes quemar, mi pantuflas.
Mcallen implemented the use of tablets in the elementary and middle school levels about8 yrs. ago. I should be interesting to know if the tablets in the classroom helped the test scores to be higher. I do remember that there was a case in which some of the middle school students unlocked the guard key placed in the tablets so they could not go to certain sites and some of the students were able to use it making a mockery out of the instructional technology people from Mcallen ISD.
Did the Brownsville school board researched any other school district from El Paso to Brownsville in the use of the tablets? Another thing that happened in Mcallen was that some of the students that were assigned homework on the tablet ended up breaking codes and some making the tablets unsuable.
Juegala fria? Did you get the Pachuco readership now, juan? Vente, guey!
That smells fishy and it's political all the way! Especially pushing by end of October. Some compadre needs a Christmas present early. Not to mention kickbacks???
And yet they keep spending money.. September 30, 2016 at 2:47 p.m. you are so right!!!
Eh, buey, traeme los calcos. Y dile a la jefa que me planche la lisa. Correle, pinche esquinkle!
Give the little shits a stack of Big Chief tablets and some No. 2 pencils.
Estoj pendejos no tienen asientos para sentar a los estudiantes ni sufficientes salones para dar clases pero quieren dar tabletas.
Couldn't this money be better used for scholarships and classroom supplies rather than ask teachers who don't make enough to pay for classroom supplies or scholarships out of their own pockets? Or better yet, how about hiring another few teachers to alleviate the overcrowded classrooms BISD created in an effort to be as cheap as possible?
A problem I've seen is that parents and siblings get hold of the technology and really mess things, I know because I wrote a grant, and got funded for computers at home. You'd be surprised what parents came up with, when not too educational matters were brought up to clean the equipment.
Did they think of asking the vendors for samples to try with students?
Are only fifth graders getting them? How many 5th graders are enrolled in bisd? If bisd has 50000 students, you're telling us 10 percent are in the fifth grade? Really 5000 5th graders? 10 year Olds? 2006 was a busy year for making babies I guess.
It is crazy to believe that these tablets will improve "reading"...that ain't going to happen. "Read" is just another four letter word in Brownsville....and the tablets won't change this. Just another costly attempt to take the burden off the teachers....who should teach and require students to read. Unfortunately, the teachers don't read either.....will a tablet change that....NOOOOOOOO
What I want to know why don't they build extended buildings to create more rooms at Veterans HS like they have done in other high schools to give teachers their own room, based on what my child tells me...there are teachers floating in that campus. That's a TEA Recognized campus, wheres is the money to help those teachers obtain a stress free environment for teaching, instead of having them sharing rooms with other teachers SMH that is ridiculous.Also, they can't hire more teachers for the same reason, and they give teacher over 30 students in the classroom. WHAT IS GOING ON????? What are these Board Members doing??? Hopefully new good ones come in to do a better job!!!
Actually it was 2005, work on your math skills
Veterans was built to accommodate a certain zone. Now with open enrollment it is too packed. It's bad decision making that isnt thought out by our incompetent board. Some new schools have a no portable policy. This open enrollment isn't meant for high schools. It's also against UIL rules.
Some 5th graders are 9 and some are 10. Think their math is right on.
No portables I understand, the school itself it's a beautiful school for portables. However, there is a lot of space in Veterans HS that the Superintendent should recommend to the board to build separate buildings to create more classrooms. The money it's given to the district to be used for this purpose and should be used to better the students and teachers....especially the core subject ones. We pay our taxes and that's a lot of money from every community members that lives in Brownsville, why misuse it on other things that are irrelevant to the learning environment of students. As a taxpayer with a child in BISD this makes me very upset. We need new people on the board, apparently the current one don't care.
One important factor in implementing technology for day to day instruction centers on the professional development of teachers on when it's appropriate to use these tools. There is a new wave of teaching called the FLIPPED CLASSROOM and many are seeing great benefit. Here take a look, http://lodgemccammon.com/flip/training/ It truly will be a benefit to students.
Aye Pepito!! Does he have the IQ to know how to even use one?? Aye, Aye
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