WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – With thousands of middle and high school students in the Wichita school district starting the school year online, many will need access to computers and reliable internet access.

Wichita Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alicia Thompson said that based on this year’s enrollment data, the district will have enough technology for all remote students who need it. She said the district used some of its CARES money to order 24,000 new devices. But, she acknowledges that because of a supply chain issue, they are still waiting on 16,000 of them to arrive.

The district spent around $11 million on the computers. It cost about $2 million for them to provide internet access.

”There’s some money that will be given to us. We did get some from the county, and we’re applying for many other grants. There’s SPARK money out there, so there’s a variety of ways in which we’ll be able to accommodate paying for the pieces of equipment and internet access,” said Dr. Thompson.

With the start of school just a few weeks away, Dr. Thompson said she wants students and parents to be assured that the district does have enough devices for each student learning remotely who doesn’t already have access to one. She said parents provided the information during enrollment.

“That was part of the enrollment process. Do you need a unit? Or do you need internet access at home? So, we know which students need it, that’s why we know we have enough units to meet the needs of the students. So we’ll start there at this point,” said Dr. Thompson.

The remaining computers that are not in by the beginning of the school year are scheduled to arrive by Oct. 5.

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