La Crosse schools, Apple sign four-year, $3.26 million lease

Deal will provide laptops to students and staff

The La Crosse School District and Apple have teamed up. 

The school board unanimously signed off on a four-year lease for $3.26 million – $814,378 per year – with Apple that will provide students and staff with laptops.

But, that’s just part of the deal. Apple will also provide industry-level desktop replacements for technical education, art and business education. 

Superintendent Randy Nelson says administration showed they were on board by cutting their budgets by $325,000 to help fund the project. 

“Our supply budgets – which we went through reductions about three years ago,” La Crosse superintendent Randy Nelson said, “we brought our administrators through reductions, and said, ‘If we’re serious about doing this, where can we reduce?'”

After the lease, which begins this upcoming school year, ends, the district will have the option to buy the equipment at $1 per device.