By Clayton Ledger in Board of Education — 11 Mar 2026

Clayton Board of Education — March 11: a $1.66 million Apple device purchase, and a farewell to two members

In the final pre-election meeting, the board approved a $1.66M Apple device purchase, adopted a social studies curriculum, and advanced a policy change creating next year's student representative.

What happened

In its last meeting before the April 7 election, the School District of Clayton Board of Education met on March 11 and approved a roughly $1.66 million purchase of new Apple devices, adopted a revised social studies curriculum, and made a one-reading policy change to set up next year's student representative. The board also approved its consent agenda. It was the final meeting for board president Stacy Siwak and member Kim Hurst.

What the board decided

After a two-year technology self-study, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Milena Garganigo and Chief Technology Officer Luke Heitert recommended a change to the student device fleet. The board approved buying student and staff computing devices from Apple for about $1,655,000, less the value of any device buybacks:

to be financed by Apple at no interest cost, and payable over three annual installments— March 11, 2026 — Meeting Minutes [#q330a1928]

The board also amended the FY 2025-2026 budget to cover the first installment if it comes due before June 30, 2026.

Dr. Garganigo and Social Studies Coordinator Dr. Paul Hoelscher presented the social studies department's work, and the board approved the revised review goals, the written curriculum, and the associated financials.

The board approved Policy JFBB, Student Advisor to the Board, in a single reading — combining first and second reading because the selection process for the 2026-2027 student representative begins before the next meeting. It gave second-reading approval to Policy KH on public gifts to the schools, which it had first read on February 19, and rescinded Policy FFA on memorials, whose language was folded into Policy KH.

In a single motion the board approved consent-agenda items 7.2 through 7.9, which included a cooperative boys volleyball sponsorship, an amendment to the Section 125 flexible benefit plan, Kid Zone fees for 2026/27, a memorandum of understanding with the CHADS Coalition, a foster-care transportation cost-sharing agreement, personnel actions, and a $1,200 donation from the Runnels family to the social workers' discretionary fund.

Who was there

The minutes record that all seven board members were present: Ms. Stacy Siwak, Ms. Kim Hurst, Ms. Chris Win, Mr. Jason Growe, Mr. Leo Human, Dr. Pamela Lyss-Lerman, and Mr. Ben Beinfeld.

What they debated

Every action that night carried unanimously, so the discussion was less a debate than a rationale. Presenting the device plan, the technology team explained that the change was driven partly by state law: after Senate Bill 68, the district had paused students bringing their own devices to the high school, and it concluded that Chromebooks were no longer adequate for what students needed to do. The team said it was also watching House Bill 2230, then under discussion, on screen time for the youngest learners.

On cost, the team told the board that a standard iPad now comes in under what the district pays for a touchscreen Chromebook, while an iPad Air for high-school students costs more per unit but opens up features such as Apple Intelligence. Because iPads have historically retained about 30% of their value when surplused after four years, and because Apple offered three-year, zero-percent financing across a full four-year replacement cycle, the team projected a roughly cost-neutral result by the end of the cycle, provided resale values hold.

Chief Financial Officer John Brazeal told the board the financing could be handled other ways if Apple's terms changed — the district could buy the devices outright and finance through a third party, spreading the cash flow over four years, since these are capital improvements paid from Fund 4. Board members also discussed a possible deposit or self-insurance deductible for devices returned damaged, noting that AppleCare is included in the purchase and that the district had known bring-your-own-device was on its way out.

Also at the meeting

Superintendent Nisha Patel thanked each board member for their service, and singled out Ms. Siwak and Ms. Hurst as they finished their terms:

Dr. Patel specifically thanked Ms. Stacy Siwak and Ms. Kim Hurst for their service on the board as this was their last meeting— March 11, 2026 — Meeting Minutes [#qc27b361e]

Their departure comes ahead of the April 7 election, when voters will fill the three open seats the board noted in January.

In committee reports, Mr. Leo Human covered the CRSWC and Ms. Chris Win the SSD Governing Council; Ms. Siwak reported from the PTO Council and the Celebration of Black Achievement, and on a former-board meeting that included a tour of Gay Field.
The meeting adjourned at 10:35 p.m..

In context: a bond on the April ballot

The meeting fell a month before voters would decide Proposition O, the district's $135 million, zero-tax-rate-increase bond placed on the April 7 ballot at the January 21 meeting. In its own communications the district had framed Prop O as Phase I of a Long-Range Facilities Master Plan that identified roughly $240 million in upgrades, to be approached in phases to avoid raising the tax rate. The district said the bond would renovate the 97-year-old Glenridge Elementary, add a Learning Lab at Clayton High School, and upgrade Gay Field.

The district noted it had been 16 years since it last asked voters to consider a bond, and that the question would be levied at the current debt levy of $0.5110 per $100 of assessed valuation, with no rate increase. In the weeks before this meeting it had stepped up outreach, scheduling Glenridge tours and a March 24 "Coffee & Conversation". That backdrop surfaced in the board's own committee reports, below.

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