June 9, 2017

Mr. Burnell McDonald

West Point Consolidated School District
429 Commerce Street
West Point, MS 39773

Dear Mr. McDonald,

As dedicated educators and child advocates, we see the need to continue elevating our
students to the next level. In this competitive day, it is imperative that we provide a platform
for our students to compete with schools globally. We believe that integrating 1:1 initiative
program in our school should be the next step for us. We have done research in surrounding
districts that have successfully integrated this technology and as a result, they have seen
increases in the following categories:

Attendance
Graduation Rate
State Assessment Scores
Subject Area Tests
As a forward thinking school, I know that we are just as capable of producing similar or better
results. We have highly qualified teachers that already provide a diverse learning environment.
Including the 1:1 initiative will propel our students learning capacity and offset costs. This plan
is cost efficient due to the decreased need of paper textbooks that can now be accessed
digitally. Additional issues addressed will be class sizes and mobility. We can continue to
accommodate larger classrooms and still provide collaboration through apps like Class
Notebook. I attended a workshop over the summer at MSU, Global Academic Essentials
Teacher Institute (GAETI) that exposed teachers to technology specifically designed for
enhancing the classroom learning environment. I am willing to offer Professional Development
to jumpstart this initiative.

Sincerely,

Shatavia L. Harris
Fifth Street Junior High
Shatavia.harris@westpoint.k12.ms.us