High school students in the Monroe County Community School Corporation will have brand new laptops to use next year.
The board approved spending about $1.5 million to purchase more than 3,800 HP ProBook laptops this week.
The board issued an initial payment of $1.1 million from a general obligation bond. The remaining $400,000 will be paid through annual installments.
Technical Director Tim Pritchett says the cost is more than $1 million cheaper than the lease and purchase price for the 2015 models.
He says the new models include a touch screen function, a faster processor, and a sturdier interior.
"In addition to that, the screen actually rotates 360 degrees," he says. "It’s the X360 model so students could flip it all the way around and use it like and use it like a notebook and write on it, which is pretty exciting."
The new laptops will be in use starting next month.