By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Several Alabaster schools soon will be getting new laptop computers and Chromebooks after the city’s Board of Education approved more than $93,000 in technology purchases during a Dec. 14 meeting.

The School Board voted unanimously during the meeting to purchase 120 new Chromebooks and four laptop carts at a price of $43,878, and voted to purchase 60 new laptop computers at a price of $49,270.

Alabaster City Schools Technology Coordinator Anthony Kingston said the 120 Chromebooks will allow the school system to add laptop carts holding 30 Chromebooks each at Creek View Elementary, Meadow View Elementary, Thompson Intermediate and Thompson Middle schools.

The 60 new laptops will go to teachers in Thompson Middle and Thompson High schools to replace outdated desktop computers, Kingston said.

“That way, they are not limited to just working with desktops,” Kingston said. “It will allow them greater flexibility.”

Dec. 14 marked the second round of technology purchases for the school system since it hired Kingston from the Jacksonville City School system in late July. In October, the Board of Education voted to spend $40,000 to purchase computers to student computer labs at TIS and TMS, and to purchase new computers for teachers at Thompson High School.

“This is the second phase of our plan to update the technology in our schools, and there are a lot of other items to come in the future,” Kingston said.

Since he was hired by ACS, Kingston has also overseen the installation of new wireless Internet equipment in all of the city’s schools, which significantly strengthened the wireless signal at the schools.