The district has had a few IT problems over the years.  The Auditor General cited us for not having proper inventory (which is addressed in a different portion of the plan) and we’ve dealt with a grading system, eSchool, that doesn’t work properly.  I suggested getting a new system, since this one is plagued with errors.

This is a short post, since Revenue and Workforce are the only two left, and they’ll need their own spaces.

Here’s what the plan says:

• Restructure the Department.  This is covered in the Admin side of the plan, but we get more detail here.  Having a COO (Chief Operations Officer) oversee this position will be essential.  There are currently two people on the tech team and the plan suggests splitting the work between Network Tech Services and Tech Support Services.  This will be efficient.
• Secure Network Operations.  This means make sure the district’s servers have adequate security and are maintained.  It also means making sure that the servers are properly cooled and there’s a power backup and generator available.  The district is already working on the generator issue.
• Expand Instructional Technology.  This is important in this day and age.  Aside from expanding the use of Google Classroom (which is AWESOME), this covers expanding the district’s cyber learning program, which will save dollars when we bring back cyber charter kids.  The other component of this initiative is finding external partners to work with.  This is very unspecific, but when I read this I hear words like “Lackawanna” and “Marywood”– so I’m betting we are looking at expanding offerings alongside local institutions of higher education.
• Get a new student management system.  This is the plan addressing the cruddy system we are using now.  The plan suggests we look for something that actually works.  The usual “no-brainer” I’ve been seeing over and over.