Technology

Technology maintenance is a large part of the 2012 bond issue because, as the third largest employer in town, the district has hundreds of computers in its classrooms, student labs, and offices. They are used by about 850 employees and almost 6,000 students. In the corporate world computers are often replaced every three years. They stretch things further in Bartlesville Public Schools, using computers for about seven years until they simply wear out and are outmoded.

The limited lifespan of computers, projectors, and the like requires that the district update its technology on a regular basis. Only a bond issue can provide sufficient funding for that.

The school district's general fund is strained simply to cover basic personnel and operating costs, especially after losing millions of dollars in state aid over the past few years. For many years patrons have provided bond issue support for needed technology. Computers and other electronic devices are now essential to providing instruction and students now learn with touch-sensitive electronic whiteboards in every elementary classroom, and computer-connected ceiling projectors in every district classroom.

TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS IN THE 2012 BOND ISSUE

• Replacement Cycle (one refresh over a 7-year period):

  • Instructional Computer Refresh

  • Refresh Data/Video Projectors in Classrooms, Computer Labs and Libraries

  • Server Refresh

  • Administrative Computer Refresh

  • Operating System and Core Software Refresh

  • Computer Room Uninterruptible Power Supply Replacements

• Annual Software Renewals

  • Online gradebook, attendance, etc., e.g. PowerSchool

  • Student assessment grading and analysis, e.g. Edusoft

  • Virtual learning & credit recovery, e.g. e2020

  • Skill building & remediation, e.g. SuccessMaker

  • Bus route creation and tracking

  • Financial management

One naturally thinks of technology hardware, but over half of the bond issue technology funding goes to making the hardware useful: annual software licenses for everything from the online gradebook to assessment analysis to virtual learning. Many of the mandatory state tests are now required to be given online and a key strategy for credit recovery to help keep at-risk students in school and prevent drop-outs is computer-based virtual learning courses.

RUMOR MILL: Technology Splurges

There has been a rumor that every teacher would be receiving a new laptop computer in this bond. That is NOT true; the bond replaces existing district computers as they wear out, which are mostly desktop systems used by teachers, students, and other school staff.

One hopes that falling technology prices will provide the district with the opportunity to explore innovative technologies, such as tablets, as they mature over the rest of this decade.

Examples of Software Requiring Annual Licensure

Computer labs are crucial for research, building basic skills in elementary school, business classes, state-mandated online testing, virtual learning & credit recovery, etc.