macbook neo pilot

Methow Valley School District — Fall 2026

We're already buying replacement Chromebooks this cycle. Instead of Chromebooks, buy macbook neos. Same monitoring, same filtering, same Google Workspace — a real computer instead of a browser.

$338
per student to upgrade
Chromebook cost is already in the budget. This is the difference.

Two Options

Seniors 48 students
macbook neo @ $499$23,952
AppleCare+ 3yr @ $139$6,672
MDM @ $5$240
Minus Chromebooks already budgeted-$14,400
Upgrade cost$16,464
Juniors + Seniors 96 students
macbook neo @ $499$47,904
AppleCare+ 3yr @ $139$13,344
MDM @ $5$480
Minus Chromebooks already budgeted-$28,800
Upgrade cost$32,928

Equity by grade, not by classroom. Every junior and senior gets the same device. District-owned, district-managed. No student provides their own.

AppleCare+ covers accidental damage for 3 years — drops, spills, cracked screens. Two incidents per year. macbook neo has the lowest repair fees of any Mac.

Expansion model. To grow the program, stop buying Chromebooks for the next grade down and extend neos instead. The Chromebook budget covers the base — $338/student is the additional cost to add one grade per year. Slow expansion rather than all at once.

Everything Required Still Works

✓GoGuardian — same filtering and monitoring, macOS system agent, same teacher dashboard
✓Google Workspace — Docs, Sheets, Drive, Classroom all work in Chrome on macOS
✓CIPA / E-Rate — content filtering unchanged, GoGuardian active on and off campus
✓Skyward — web-based, any browser
✓State testing — SBAC secure browser available for macOS
✓Take-home — same program, device goes home, GoGuardian active
✓Transparent and monitorable — educators see student screens in class, parents can request info on what's monitored
✓Policy compliance — under $75K, no formal bid. Board approves via consent agenda. Capital levy eligible.

What Students Gain

+Desktop applications — video editing, graphic design, music production, CAD for CTE programs
+AI tools — Claude, ChatGPT, local models as native apps, not just websites
+Claude Code — real terminal, real dev environment, code with AI assistance
+Creative suite — iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Keynote free; Adobe CC via education licensing
+3-year AppleCare+ — accidental damage, 2 incidents/year, lowest repair fees of any Mac
+Longer life — 5-7 years vs 3-4, security updates for 7+ years
+Aluminum build — survives what breaks Chromebook plastic, hinges, and screens
+Ownership path — graduate buys device at ~$50 depreciated value, per RCW 28A.335.180

Timeline

2028 Levy Opportunity

If the pilot succeeds, expanding to all grades becomes a clear line item the community can vote on in 2028-2029: real computers for every student, with transparent costs and annual reporting.

The pilot gives us data. The levy gives us scale.

$338 per student. That's the upgrade from a browser to a computer.

Same GoGuardian. Same Google Workspace. Same monitoring.

Desktop apps. AI tools. Creative software. A device that lasts longer and the student can own when they graduate.

48 or 96 students. One year. See what happens.