NATCHEZ — The Natchez-Adams School Board gave the school district the go-ahead to advertise for approximately 400 new computers.

Superintendent Fred Butcher told school board members that one of the software programs used in the district has been updated and no longer works on most of the district’s hardware.

“As you know technology-wise we have been struggling,” Butcher said. “Our machines are 10 to 12 years old, and they are having trouble with (the program) iReady.”

iReady is a software package that offers personalized student instruction and provides diagnostic reports based on the state’s curriculum standards.

Butcher said iReady has become an essential teaching tool in the classroom.     

“This is how we are doing drill work in a lot of instances,” Butcher said. “This is what we use for testing.”

Assistant Superintendent Zandra McDonald said the updated version of iReady needs a computer that has an updated operating system and has advanced graphics capabilities.

The junior high and high school grades, Butcher said, do not use the same programs and will not need the same type of computer.

“For the junior high and high school we can probably do with a lower-end machine,” Butcher said.

Money to buy the machines will come from a combination of sources including Title 1 funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Butcher said.

An estimate of the cost of buying the machines was not discussed in the meeting Tuesday.

School board member Phillip West asked about whether any of the school district’s infrastructure needs — wiring, wifi, etc. — would be affected.

“This won’t correct it,” Butcher said.

Butcher said the school district looked at the possibility of buying laptops and other computers.

“We first looked at buying Macbooks, but our infrastructure does not support that,” Butcher said.

The superintendent said the cost to upgrade the district’s infrastructure would be cost prohibitive.

“We are going with the second option, which is to update our machines,” Butcher said.

The board voted unanimously for the school district to advertise for bids for the new computers.

In other business the board:

* Renewed its annual contract with Natchez Telelephone and Security to provide telephone wiring, maintenance and security services to the school district.

* Approved an agreement with Merit Health Natchez and Adams County Nursing Center that allows students enrolled in health science at the Fallin Technology Center to receive clinical care units at the two facilities.

* Approved a contract with All Brand Foods in Hattiesburg to provide vending services in the district.

* Heard from Butcher who said air-conditioning has been a problem in the district. Most air-conditioning units are up and running, Butcher said, but some large spaces in the district that should be cooled by two units are only being cooled by one.

“We are really trying to be diligent in fixing those,” Butcher said.