Every Huntley student gets a Chromebook. Now some are helping keep them running longer.

Chromebooks are ubiquitous in Huntley School District 158. Each student in the district gets one.

District 158 also is in the midst of working on a districtwide efficiency initiative, and although teachers currently don’t use Chromebooks, that soon could change.

A potential switch from the Windows computers they currently use was discussed at a Dec. 7 school board meeting.

Officials estimate that the district would save $400 to $500 per device and $75,000 per year if the teachers ditch Windows computers.

Google hardware and software is prominent in the technology officials’ cost-saving measures and proposals.

The district is seeing if it can eliminate Zoom video calling in favor of Google Meet, which is estimated to save $30,000 annually. The plan is to keep Zoom webinar around for school board meetings, among other uses.

The district is looking at two additional potential revenue streams at the start and finish of a Chromebook’s life.

According to district documents, the price of Chromebooks has climbed $40 since 2019, and officials estimated that charging 8,000 students $25 would bring in about $200,000. The district’s enrollment is about 8,500 students, according to the Illinois Report Card.

Board President Andy Bittman asked in the meeting if the school district could keep Chromebooks in students’ hands longer, and officials indicated that they were looking into that.

According to Google’s website, it will provide support for Chrome devices for 10 years.

“Do we really need to give a student four Chromebooks through their life of the 12 years?” Bittman said.

Another proposal listed in district documents is to sell used technology equipment, which officials estimate could generate $50 to $72 per device.

While the district is looking into ways to make the computers less costly, students at the high school are gaining experience with helping salvage old parts of the Chromebooks and making sure the computers are working.

New this year, students at Huntley High School are participating in the school’s IT help desk. In the program, which began in October, students help out with the maintenance of the Chromebooks during their free periods.

The students’ primary responsibilities in the program include testing the computers to make sure keyboard and microphones, among other parts and the computers themselves, work.

Two seniors, Logan Borzych and Varshan Suhirtharen, assist at the help desk and are interested in pursuing computer engineering careers.

Both students said they’ve been into computers a long time

“As a kid, I was always interested in computers,” Suhirtharen said.

Huntley High School mobile tech Matt Precour said that the next step in the program will include students eventually participating in service calls.