Shelton Public Schools has saved $2 million in technology costs over the past 10 years, and will save $120,000 a year in capital investments.
Citrix technology was the IT vendor behind the massive savings in technology costs.
Shelton Public Schools, a K-12 school district in Western Connecticut, has used Citrix technology to support the Google Chromebox computers that retail for less than $200.
The cost for Google Chromebox computers is a fraction of the nearly $500 per device Shelton Public Schools would have had to spend on desktop computers for its classroom learning centers.
All students at Shelton Public Schools now have access through Citrix XenApp to Chromebooks and all of the same apps – such as Google Apps for Education and the latest Windows-based applications — in school and at home – on any device.
Shelton Public Schools purchased 600 Chromebook devices for nearly $200 each. Regular laptops can cost as much as $1,000 each and need to be refreshed every five years. Since teachers can avoid onsite meetings and costly laptops, Shelton Public Schools can save more than $150,000 in laptop expenses and the district saves almost $50,000 a year in overhead costs.
Tina Henckel, assistant director of STEM and Data Management, Shelton Public Schools, said: “It’s affordable for us to put five lab computers in the back of every classroom, when we could’ve only afforded two in the past. For a class with 20 students, that means one-quarter of them can receive differentiated instruction at any given time.”
Daniel DiVito, director of Technology, Shelton Public Schools, said: “Though we can’t replace equipment as quickly as we want to, we can use Citrix to help lengthen the life span of the equipment, simply by really using the older devices as a vehicle with Citrix to provide the latest Windows-based desktop for them.”
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