Burbank Unified buys 3-D printers for its three high schools

In an effort to keep up with the latest technology trends in education, Burbank school officials recently purchased almost two dozen 3-D printers they will deliver to Burbank’s two comprehensive high schools and one continuation campus in what marks the district’s first purchase of 3-D printers for high school students.

The Burbank Unified School Board gave the OK to buy 23 3-D printers last month using $73,000 in state grant funds.

The money is part of the California Career Pathways Trust, which supports career technical education programs in the Verdugo region.

Students currently have access to a handful of 3-D printers that are already in Burbank schools, although none of them were purchased by district administrators. They were either bought by a principal whose school had leftover funds to spend or through a parent-driven fundraiser, said Sharon Cuseo, assistant superintendent of Burbank Unified.

Burbank High School and John Burroughs High School will each receive 10 machines, while Monterey High, the district’s continuation campus, will receive three.

The printers will be sent to classrooms where students learn digital media and design, where they will ultimately print models of their own creation.

“What we’re trying to do is provide our students with experience and tools to be successful in the workplace,” Cuseo said. “These tools are becoming more and more the industry standard.”

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Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan