Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the City of Columbus, Department of Technology, to enter into an agreement with Columbus City Schools, hereinafter referred to as the District. Under the terms of the agreement, or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the City will reimburse the District $7,150,000 in federal CARES Act funding for the purchase of 20,000 student computers (Chromebooks) and related software, licenses and warranties as part of the District’s educational technology and virtual learning plan.
K-12 public education statewide and at CCS is in the midst of a teaching and learning paradigm shift that began before the Covid-19 pandemic. This shift expanded the traditional notion of the public classroom to an extended, or blended learning approach where a student’s education is augmented with rich K-12 content outside of the classroom.
The Covid-19 pandemic rapidly changed and reinforced the need to move to a virtual and blended learning approach to public education. In the 2019-2020 school year, primary and secondary classrooms statewide were closed by executive order of the Governor due to Covid-19.
While the 2020-2021 school year plans are still uncertain due to the ever-changing nature of Covid-19 locally, what is clear is that the 2020-2021 school year will continue to require various aspects of remote or blended learning for all K-12 students in Ohio, including CCS students.
The District’s re-opening plan for the 2020-2021 school year includes various learning options or frameworks, for students and their parents to choose from including the CCS Digital Academy, Blending Learning and a combination of the CCS Digital Academy and Blended Learning.
In all three models, access to digital learning tools, connectivity to the Internet, K-12 lesson plans and learning content as wells as on-going teacher and student technology training and support are vital to programmatic and learning outcomes for the district and students.
Given the potential for investments in devices, connectivity, curriculum and teacher professional development, the District will need to prioritize portions of its overall budget on remote education moving forward, especially for the 2020-2021 school year. This reprioritization includes ensuring that each student will have access to a student learning device (Chromebooks), the ability to connect to the Internet with a parent-provided Internet connection or district provided connection for those without connectivity, access to on-line learning content, and on-going technical training and support.
To support the efforts described above, and further explained in the attached MOU, this ordinance authorizes the City to reimburse the District $7,150,000 in federal CARES Act funding. This reimbursement may be made in a single or in multiple disbursements.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City has received federal CARES act money to assist with the funding of municipal operations during and related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds are available to provide to the District for the above-described purpose.
EMERGENCY
Emergency status is requested so that these funds may be transferred at the earliest possible date.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Technology to enter into an agreement with the Columbus City School District (District) to enable the District to procure 20,000 student computers (Chromebooks) and related software, licenses and warranties as part District’s educational technology and virtual learning plan; to authorize the expenditure of $7,150,000.00 in federal CARES act funding to reimburse the District for the above; and to declare an emergency. ($7,150,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 Pandemic has resulted in the need for all Columbus City Schools high school students to be learning virtually during the 2020-2021 school year; and
WHEREAS, for the same reason, Columbus City Schools students in grades pre-kindergarten to eighth will engage in blended learning; engaging in virtual instruction for three days per week; and
WHEREAS, it is important to the District Superintendent and the Columbus Board of Education, and crucial to the success of District students, that they acquire 1:1 computing capability; and
WHEREAS, a recent device audit demonstrated that the District did not have enough devices to realize this important goal and the purchase of 20,000 would be necessary to provide a device for all of the District’s students; and
WHEREAS, the District estimates that $7,150,000 would be needed to purchase the required number of devices to achieve a 1:1 computing capability; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and Superintendent share a vision that all students should have the tools and resources that they need to succeed; and,
WHEREAS, the City has available federal CARES Act funding that can be used to assist the District with this initiative and has agreed to reimburse the District $7,150,000 for 20,000 student computers (Chromebooks) and related software, licenses and warranties; and
WHEREAS, the expenditure of CARES Act funding to procure 20,000 student computers (Chromebooks) and related software, licenses and warranties as part District’s educational technology and virtual learning plan is necessary to address the need for all Columbus City Schools high school students to be learning virtually during the 2020-2021 school year caused by the Covid19 public health emergency; and
WHEREAS, such expenditure of funds has not been previously accounted for in the 2020 budget; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Department of Technology in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to enter into an agreement with the Columbus City School District to enable the City to reimburse the District $7,150,000 to enable the procurement of 20,000 student computers (Chromebooks) and related software, licenses and warranties, for the preservation of the public health, peace, property and safety; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Department of Technology be and is hereby authorized to enter into an agreement, via a Memorandum of Understanding, with Columbus City Schools (District) to enable City to reimburse the District $7,150,000 in federal CARES Act funding for the purchase of 20,000 student computers (Chromebooks) and related software, licenses and warranties as part District’s educational technology and virtual learning plan.
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of $7,150,000.00 or so much thereof as may be necessary is hereby authorized to be expended from federal CARES act moneys as follows in the attachment to this ordinance. (see attachment 1796-2020 EXP)
SECTION 3: That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 4: That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 5: That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.