Finding Technology Funding

   Technology seems to be evolving daily and parents, students, and teachers expect that schools will keep up with that evolution. The major sticking point for most of this comes down to funding. How are schools expected to keep up when the technology increases faster than the budget? In my school system the technology budget has not changed in four years. Within that same time frame we have upgraded 11 servers, added unified wireless, converted email to G Suite, added around 800 Chromebooks, and updated our website. This was all done while still having to repair and replace smart boards, computers, and projectors. Boschee, Jensen, and Whitehead (2013) tell us that "Meeting the needs of school funding clearly requires a rearranging of priorities at all levels," (p. 192). This is exactly what I have had to do. 

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     One option pointed out by Boschee, Jensen, and Whitehead (2013) suggests that "budgeting changes should involve cutting back or eliminating ineffective programs that will free up money for more promising approaches," (p.192). Since being in the position I have been amazed at the amount of waste that has been allowed to go on for years. Some of the areas I have been able to "find" money for other programs included licensing for underused programs, unused cell phones, and dead phone lines. In many cases upgrading to a better product has saved money. Moving all of our fire alarms over to cellular has saved $900 per month on our phone bill. That is after the increase in monitoring costs. When we make the final move from copper phone lines to a fiber solution we look to save an additional $3300 per month. These savings are multiplied by the loss of E-rate funding for phones. 

     I am always on the lookout for additional places I can save the district money. This might not lead to a direct increase in my budget, but it does give me ammunition when I meet with the superintendent over additional technology needs. 

     Another option that I rely on heavily is E-Rate. "The Federal Communications Commission provides virtually every school and public library with a specially discounted "educational rate" (E-Rate)," (Boschee, Jensen, and Whitehead, 2013, p. 193). Without E-Rate our district would not have 90 percent of the equipment we currently have. We would also not be able to get broadband speeds.

    We also leverage a lot of our Title 1 funds for the purchase of technology. Title 1 "provides financial assistance to local educational agencies and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families," (U.S. Department of Education, 2015). The problem with relying heavily on these funds is that they are not guaranteed each year and the amount changes each year. It is also in place to enhance your current funding not to supplant it. This means that you cannot purchase items that would normally be purchased with state or local funds. 

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    Beyond these options, I am always on the lookout for grants and fundraising. We made full use of our Alabama Ahead Act (AAA) funds. This allowed us to leverage money from the state with our E-Rate funding to complete our unified wireless solution. We were also able to purchase additional Chromebooks and replace numerous outdated computers. We have also just been informed that we were awarded a Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant through the USDA. This was in partnership with our local hospital and will allow us to purchase $100,000 of distance learning equipment. Some of our teachers also use sites like DonorsChoose.org. These sites allow teachers to request help purchasing items for their schools and classrooms. You never know when you will get lucky like the 35,000+ requests last week that were "fully funded thanks to a single $29 million donation," (Chokshi, 2018). 

     We must remove limitations that have traditionally been placed on teachers and administrators and allow them to take charge of their schools, classroom, and technology (Boschee, Jensen, and Whitehead, 2013, p. 193) This will allow us to continue to evolve with technology to ensure we are preparing our students for the advance future they face. 

References

Boschee, F., Jensen, D., & Whitehead, B. (2013). Planning for technology: A guide for school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a Sage Company.

Chokshi, N. (2018) How to get $29 million for classroom projects? Just ask. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/us/donors-choose-donation-ripple.html

U.S. Department of Education (2015) Programs. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html