The Fairfield County School Board voted 5-1 Tuesday night to approve the purchase of 10 new iPads for the District.

Catherine Kennedy (Dist. 1) abstained from the vote.

The iPads come at an initial cost of $10,700, plus an annual maintenance fee of $2,700.

The purchase is part of the District’s move toward a “paperless” environment, which also includes the new software program “BoardDocs.”

It is hoped that the iPads, which will primarily be utilized by Board members and upper-level administration, will replace the large amounts of paper transmitted back and forth between the entities prior to and between Board meetings.

Board member and secretary Marchella Pauling (Dist. 6) cast the lone opposing vote.

“It seemed like a waste of money to me,” Pauling said. “We’ve already been issued laptops. Why not just bring your laptop to the meetings?”

Furthermore, she noted, iPad is an Apple product and will not be compatible with the rest of the District’s PC software and computers.

Board Chairwoman Annie McDaniel said compatibility should not be an issue, since the iPads would only be used for Board meetings.

She also said the Board’s laptops were several years old and the purchase represented an investment in the future.

“We do a lot of stuff for today,” McDaniel said, “without looking 10 or 15 years down the road.”