TUSD students are getting an infusion of technology with the purchase of more than 8,100 laptops and other equipment.
The equipment, which comes with a $4.5 million price tag, is being paid for with desegregation money and will be distributed at 71 school sites.
Each of the schools were selected based on a criteria that considered whether campuses served magnet students, levels of student diversity and the severity of achievement gaps.
Schools serving grades K-8 will receive 5,250 laptops while 2,940 laptops will be issued to secondary schools.
The Tucson Unified School District is also purchasing more than 1,200 document cameras, 546 projectors, 7,810 headphones, 1,002 projector bulbs and other equipment.
As education moves in a more digital direction with online testing and resources, the equipment has become more necessary, said Scott Morrison, TUSDβs chief technology officer.
βItβs quite a bit of equipment and weβre really happy,β he said, adding the purchase will bring about 80 percent of schools to reach a ratio of one laptop for every two students, if not better.
