Budget for Existing District Tech Program

What I Did ✅:

For this assignment, I conducted research within the East Penn School Districts entire technology budget and presented a justified change in the budget using real data and information. As a taxpayer in this district, I also found the budget information very interesting. I did not realize how much many of the programs we use actually cost per student and how much waste there is by underutilized services and products. At the time of this project we had just entered the second phase in the 1:1 technology plan and there was much to be worked out with security software, wireless access and deciding what fees should be passed on to families. I discovered that many of the surrounding school districts require families to purchase insurance on the school technology however we do not and it is a big line in our budget to pay for repairs and replacements, which is one reason I developed a proposed plan to help with this cost.

What I Learned 🧠:

I think the biggest takeaway from this project was just how many zero's it takes to run a technology department for a district of 8,000+ students. It is also another reason to spend the time and energy in accounting for every dollar and making sure it gets utilized appropriately. I also learned that there is NEVER enough money in a school budget for it all and there must be a checks and balances and priority list kept. Lastly, change is slow when it requires allocating state and federal funding. The finances may point to one thing but there is an awful lot of red tape that prevents some decisions from being made and ultimately it needs to be approved by the school board.

How I Will Grow 🌱:

Many school budgets are public information however many people do not even take the time to glance them over and analyze them. One thing I will continue to advocate for is passing on the cost of technology to families. It is a privilege for a student to have a district device and the cost for irresponsible students and families is high, ultimately costing the district money in an area that can better be spent in other areas. East Penn parents do not realize how lucky they are compared to surrounding districts to have the replacement costs absorbed in some cases. It is also important that I help support our tech department in developing a refresh cycle that is sustainable. I feel this may have been an oversight in the original 1:1 budget roll out and now after a pandemic has become even more of a priority.