Teachers in the Liberty County School System will be getting new Mac-Books, and elementary school students will be getting new iPads.

School board members voted 6-1 to approve a three-year lease agreement with Apple totaling nearly $4 million. Proceeds from the education special local option sales tax will pay for the new computers.

Refresh of computer devices are done every four years, Dr. John Ryan, executive director of technology and media told board members.

Thirty-two teachers reviewed seven computers at the school system’s technology lab, and 27 of them picked the MacBook Air with 15-inch screen. Elementary school teachers also were asked to review the Chromebook and the iPad 10 for classroom use and of 83 responses, 57 chose the iPad.

Dr. Ryan acknowledged there are issues with iPads when it comes to giving tests on them.

“But overall, teachers felt this was the best device,” he said.

For example, next school year, there will be an audio portion of statewide tests, meaning devices will have to have a headphone and microphone jack as students listen and respond to spoken passages of text.

“Students have to be able to hear and speak back to the computer,” Dr. Ryan said. “We’re working on trying to figure out the best way to do that.”

Chromebooks will continue to be issued to middle and high school students.

Ryan also said the school system expects to save about $400,000 over the life of the lease and Apple also provides select school systems for seminars on mathematics in the lower grades.

The agreement includes a 0% lease over three years, AppleCare+ for the devices over four years, and Apple will enroll all devices and make sure they receive the latest updates. The agreement will bring in 5,500 10.9-inch iPads and 950 15-inch MacBook Airs. Also part of the package are 2,880 Brenthaven bounce cases for kindergarten through second grade students and 2,620 keyboards with auxiliary ports for third through fifth graders.

Teachers will have the right of first refusal on devices getting switched out at a discounted cost, and all resales proceeds go back in the ESPLOST account.

School board members also are expected to approve two contracts totaling $1.16 with Air Management Systems to replace HVAC systems at Waldo Pafford and Taylors Creek elementary schools. The existing systems are at the end of their service lives and are more than 25 years old.

The state Department of Education approved the engineering design and work will include an upgrade to the chiller, chilled water pumps and energy management control system. ESPLOST proceeds will fund the work.