Smart Boards In Every Elementary Classroom

Five elementary schools in the Clarkstown School District already have Smart Boards installed in all their traditional kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms or on the verge of achieving that.  The district’s other schools have some classrooms with the new technology but the Board of Education moved Wednesday night to make it universally available in the elementary schools.  The board members approved a motion to get a cost estimate for purchasing and installing Smart Boards in the remaining 23 classrooms.

The Birchwood, Lakewood, West Nyack and New City elementary schools have Smart Boards in place for each section of every grade. Congers is on the verge of joining that list after the board approved a $2,000 donation from the school’s PTA toward the purchase of a Smart Board for the fifth grade. 

“Our rollout district wide has been grade by grade and we finished grade two this year,” said Director of Instructional Technology John Krouskoff.

He said it costs about $4,000 to purchase and install a Smart Board. He said it would cost approximately $96,000 to equip the remaining 24 classrooms. With the board’s vote on the Conger’s PTA donation, that number drops to 23. He noted each school has one art room with a Smart Board as well as special education classes and the SPIRIT class in Clarkstown South High School. 

Assistant Superintendent John LaNave said he would compile a proposal covering all the needed materials and installation costs for presentation at the February meeting. The money would come from the district’s fund balance. 

When asked by Board President Joe Malgieri if the remaining classrooms could be set up before June, Krouskoff said that was possible. 

He said they are valuable additions as instructional tools and that the actual boards have a lifespan of about eight years and the projectors about four years. Krouskoff noted the resources were acquired through grants from the Clarkstown Education Foundation, school PTAs and matching funds from community members. 

“We’ve seen great success with these,” said Krouskoff