With demand surging, schools wait on Chromebooks

Looking for a Chromebook? You might wait a while.

Nationally, there is a backlog of Chromebook orders because of high demand for them during the coronavirus pandemic. At least two local school districts and the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit are still waiting on ones they ordered, and they’re not sure if the devices will arrive before school starts.

Laptops and other types of computers and related products also are in high demand as many workers and students shift to working at home, according to CNN and other news outlets.

“This year, due to covid-19, schools needed to get as many devices as possible into students’ hands so that they have the ability to learn in a remote environment,” said Eric Vaughan, director of technology for the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit.

“One of the issues is that many schools don’t have extra money set aside to deploy devices not budgeted, so they find the most cost-effective, functional device capable of supporting their educational content needs, the Chromebook,” Vaughan said.

The deluge of orders coming in at the same time created a huge backlog of orders for manufacturers, Vaughan said. Westmoreland IU is waiting for its Chromebooks it ordered in early May, he said. The IU has not received an estimated time of arrival for its shipment.

Same with Burrell and Allegheny Valley school districts.

Allegheny Valley is waiting for 210 Chromebooks for 11th- and 12th-graders and 90 iPads, said Brett Slezak, the district’s supervisor of technology.

“We will try to get through with what we have, but we might be short,” he said.

If the Chromebooks don’t arrive by Allegheny Valley’s first day of school Aug. 24, the district will loan students laptops and iPads that previously were designated for classroom use, district spokeswoman Jan Zastawniak said.

Burrell Superintendent Shannon Wagner told parents in a recent letter “due to limited supplies worldwide, the students may not receive all the Chromebooks prior to start of school.”

She suggested parents should provide their children with a laptop, if they can, until the Chromebooks arrive.

The district at one point was waiting for about 1,000 Chromebooks, said Burrell School Board President Tricia Shank. Earlier this month, the district approved joining a consortium to help the district acquire the technology it needs, she added.