Quick action by Steve Richardson, director of information technology at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, enabled District 233 to meet its purchase of 800 Chromebooks for the incoming freshman class and at a reduced cost.
The school board approved a $425,200 expenditure for new technology equipment at the board’s May 19 meeting.
Board member Chris Riedel gave kudos to Richardson, who moved quickly to acquire the equipment after the first vendor could no longer meet H-F’s needs. The order had to be placed in May to avoid price increases in June.
H-F has been working with Dell for a number of years, but Richardson was told this spring that the company couldn’t fulfill the order for Chromebooks before the start of school. Each incoming freshman gets a new Chromebook to use during their four years at H-F. The technology department also keeps a reserve supply.
Richardson began contacting other vendors who could ensure delivery. He found Lenovo Chromebooks at $280,000, a less expensive price than the $344,000 bill H-F would have had with Dell.
“Please note that pricing can change drastically before the next fiscal year based on the current memory chip shortage situation,” Richardson informed the board in a memo. “Some vendors have reported the possibility of up to a 15-30% increase in pricing. We are also being told that orders will take longer to fulfill due to component shortages and increased orders.”
Richardson said since 2025, prices have continued to rise. Computer costs are up 15%, laptops by 17% and Chromebooks by 4% with secured pricing.
The district also purchased 40 Dell Pro laptops, 20 Meraki wireless access points and several other special pieces of equipment.
Riedel told his fellow board members: “Given the conditions in the market right now, it’s critical that we move quickly and also that we all recognize that these costs continue to go up. … It is especially notable that we got a vendor who was lower than the previous vendor. The only reason we didn’t go with (the first vendor) was because they ran out of chips.”
Riedel said H-F “got lucky,” but the expected price increases and reduced supplies “is something we’re going to have to pay attention to in the future.”
