Technology in the schools threatens to fall behind

According to a report released last week, technology in the Las Virgenes Unified School District is in a state of “crisis” due to cutbacks in funding, lack of resources, and an inventory of equipment that is rapidly becoming outdated.

School officials are calling for a series of workgroups to address immediate technological needs in the district and develop a vision on how technology should be used in the coming years, the report said.

“The board is all too painfully aware that our technology plan is in crisis,” said Deputy Superintendent Donald Zimring. He said the system goes down regularly and that it was “unacceptable” that teachers and staff must operate under such conditions.

Lack of personnel is part of the problem. Zimring said the district’s technology department has six full-time employees, only four of whom are dedicated to technology services. The other positions support audio visual services and phone maintenance, he said. The staff is responsible for servicing 5,000 computers and 3,000 printers, scanners and routers at 15 school sites, as well as the district’s network and data processing and collection. A parttime position is dedicated to software support.

Nine critical issues need to be addressed, the school district said, including network stability, maintenance, the need for “userfriendly” websites, increased parent access, staff training and the need to implement technology recommendations by the Fiscal and Crisis Management Assistance Team.

Officials want to incorporate a “total cost of ownership” approach to technology, which would add 30 percent to the cost of new computers, but includes ongoing maintenance and replacement for the life of the computers.

“We can no longer look at technology as a frill,” said Zimring. “It’s a staple.” He said sufficient funding will be allocated for the technology improvements.

The new workgroups include a Technology Vision Workgroup to anticipate future technology needs for the district and develop a sustainable plan through 2008. This group would develop a model technology program by identifying key components at each grade level, find resources to deliver the programs, and identify longand short-term training needs.

The workgroup will specifically look at how instructional technology will be delivered to alternative education students and those taking online courses. Group members will also focus on how technology can be integrated with the state standards at every grade level.

The Bridge Training Workgroup will identify short-term training needs. According to the report, coordinated training on common programs has not been available for several years, and new employees need training.

The Infrastructure Stability Workgroup will focus on identifying and correcting failing elements of the existing infrastruc

ure which threaten such critical services as e-mail, student record access and Internet access.

The first two workgroups expect to finish research by June 2006, while the infrastructure stability workgroup will complete its ask by the beginning of the year.

Zimring said that training is an important element of the plan.

“It’s one thing to say you have all the toys,” he said, adding that the technology has to be used.

“We’ll see an immediate bump in usage when we have a more reliable system,” said Superintendent Sandra Smyser.