Old Rochester Regional High School Principal Mike Devoll said every student should have access to a laptop, whether it’s a personal device or one issued by the school.

“A lot of kids are coming in with their own devices and finding them useful,” Devoll said. “I want to see us move into a one-to-one situation, many schools are there already.”

Devoll spoke at the Old Rochester School Committee meeting where administrators updated members on technology upgrades completed over the summer.

Through a $60,000 grant obtained by Assistant Superintendent Dr. Elise Frangos, 10 new wireless access points were installed in the high school to increase Internet access and speed.

“The hope is to have no dead zones,” said Frangos. “That is all operational now and we will be testing it out now to make sure there is no drag or slowness when the devices are in use.”

Last year, 345 Chrombook laptops were purchased by the district. The school is paying $266 for each device with a three-year lease.

Business Director Patrick Spencer said at the junior high school 200 Chromebooks are in use and will be owned outright after a three-year lease period.

“The goal is to stagger these leases to spread the cost over the years,” Spencer said.

With the Chromebooks, Devoll said the school should move away from a model where students are assigned time in a handful of computer labs.

“Having a home base in the classroom really makes it a true technological classroom,” Devoll said. “There’s no transition to walking to a lab. Kids get the sense that this is my device in my classroom.”

This year, $90,000 was allocated from the school budget for technology. Devoll said more funding will be requested. Eventually, he hopes that every student will have access.

“I don’t think we can jump in fully with the entire school yet,” Devoll said.

At the junior high school, administrators are halfway to their goal of providing a device for each student.

Junior High Principal Kevin Brogioli said for the more than 400 students there are 200 Chromebooks. Brogioli said the devices are only helpful if utilized properly.

“It’s only good if it enhances student instruction and student engagement,” he said.

As Chromebooks are widely used in tri-town elementary schools, Superintendent Dr. Doug White said the junior and high schools should focus on making sure there’s continuity between the grades.

“This has got to be at the top of our list as we build our budgets moving forward,” White said.