Petaluma City Schools Report

Petaluma City Schools Technology Review August 3, 2010 Joel D. Montero Chief Executive Officer Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM August 3, 2010 Greta Viguie, Ed.D., Superintendent Petaluma City Schools 200 Douglas Street Petaluma CA 94952 Dear Superintendent Viguie, In November 2009, the Petaluma City Schools and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) entered into an agreement to provide a review of the district’s technology services. Specifically, the agreement states that FCMAT will perform the following: 1. The objective of the technology review will be to provide a detailed report that demonstrates the current state of technology and use and provide recommenda- tions regarding the organizational staffing of the technology department to support the district’s need. A) The FCMAT team will create a staff technology survey that can be posted to the website or distributed to a sampling of classified, certificated and manage- ment staff to assist in the evaluation of the department support level, customer satisfaction and use of technology in the classrooms and departmental level. B) The team will interview site principals, department directors and classified staff to gather data regarding the types of application and hardware utilized at the district. C) The team will review and analyze the district’s technology master plan and make recommendations, if any 2. The technology review will include an analysis regarding the level of support from the following: A) Network administration B) Website development and support C) Email support for district and site level staff D) Student attendance system FCMAT Joel D. Montero, Chief Executive Officer . . 1300 17th Street - CITY CENTRE, Bakersfield, CA 93 . 301-4533 Telephone 661-6 . 36-4611 Fax 661-63 . 6-4647 422 Petaluma Blvd North, Suite. C, Petaluma, CA 94952 Telephone: 707-775-2850 Fax: 707-775-2854 www.fcmat.org Administrative Agent: Christine L. Frazier - Office of Kern County Superintendent of Schools E) Financial reporting system F) Hardware installation and setup G) Application software used at district and site levels H) Technology in the classrooms 3. Review the job descriptions and staffing of the technology department. This component will also include any site level support and its impact on the on the technology department. A) Review district board policies on the use and integration of technology for district level and site based instructional strategies. This component should include any obstacles or barriers that prevent the use of effective technology. B) Based upon the support level required by the district’s technology depart- ment, provide staffing comparisons of districts of similar size and structure 4. Review the design network regarding safeguards of the data residing on the systems in the event of a catastrophic event or security breach. Review the processes of planning that exist to upgrade the hardware and software assets to remain current with today’s technology. Provide recommendations regarding professional development training The attached final report contains the study team’s findings and recommendations. FCMAT appreciates the opportunity to serve the Petaluma City Schools and extends thanks to all the staff of the district for their cooperation and assistance during fieldwork. Sincerely, Joel D. Montero Chief Executive Officer i TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Foreword .................................................................................................iii Introduction ............................................................................................1 Background ......................................................................................................1 Study Guidelines ............................................................................................1 Study Team.......................................................................................................4 Executive Summary ..............................................................................5 Priority Ranking of Recommendations ...................................................8 Findings and Recommendations .....................................................9. Technology Plan .............................................................................................9. Stakeholder Involvement .....................................................................................10 Technology in the Curriculum ............................................................................11 Monitoring and Evaluation ..................................................................................12 Technology in the Classroom ..................................................................15 Instructional Software ...........................................................................................16 System and User Support ..........................................................................19. Technology Acquisition; Installation and Implementation; Inventory; and Replacement ....................................................................23 Acquisition ................................................................................................................23 Installation and Implementation ......................................................................25 Inventory ....................................................................................................................26 Replacement .............................................................................................................27 Professional Development ........................................................................29. Technology Staff Training .....................................................................................29. PetaluMa city schools ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Fiscal Issues ....................................................................................................33 Network Administration ............................................................................35 Network and Data Security ......................................................................37 Systems ............................................................................................................39. Student Attendance System ................................................................................39. Financial Reporting System ................................................................................40 Website Development ...........................................................................................42 E-mail ...........................................................................................................................43 Staffing, Organization and Job Descriptions ......................................43 Staffing .......................................................................................................................43 Organizational and Reporting Structure ........................................................48 Job Descriptions ......................................................................................................52 Board Policies for Instructional Technology........................................55 Appendices ............................................................................................57 A: Recommendation Matrix B: Project Implementation and Monitoring Examples C: Survey Results D: Sample Job Descriptions E: Sample Instructional Computer Replacment Plan and Policy; Sample Baseline Standards for Classrooms F: Study Agreement Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM iii FOREWORD Study Agreements by Fiscal Year 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 92/93 93/94 94/95 95/96 96/97 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 01/02 02/03 03/04 04/05 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 Projected PetaluMa city schools seidutS fo rebmuN Foreword - FCMAT Background The Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) was created by legislation in accordance with Assembly Bill 1200 in 1992 as a service to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) in complying with fiscal accountability standards. AB 1200 was established from a need to ensure that LEAs throughout California were adequately prepared to meet and sustain their financial obligations. AB 1200 is also a statewide plan for county offices of education and school districts to work together on a local level to improve fiscal procedures and accountability standards. The legislation expanded the role of the county office in monitoring school districts under certain fiscal constraints to ensure these districts could meet their financial commitments on a multiyear basis. AB 2756 provides specific responsibilities to FCMAT with regard to districts that have received emergency state loans. These include compre- hensive assessments in five major operational areas and periodic reports that identify the district’s progress on the improvement plans. In January 2006, SB 430 (charter schools) and AB 1366 (community colleges) became law and expanded FCMAT’s services to those types of LEAs. Since 1992, FCMAT has been engaged to perform nearly 750 reviews for local educational agencies, including school districts, county offices of education, charter schools and community colleges. Services range from fiscal crisis intervention to management review and assistance. FCMAT also provides professional development training. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools is the administrative agent for FCMAT. The agency is guided under the leadership of Joel D. Montero, Chief Executive Officer, with funding derived through appropriations in the state budget and a modest fee schedule for charges to requesting agencies. Total Number of Studies....................743 Total Number of Districts in CA ........1,050 Management Assistance.............................705 (94.886%) Fiscal Crisis/Emergency ................................38 (5.114%) Note: Some districts had multiple studies. Eight (8) districts have received emergency loans from the state. (Rev. 12/8/09) Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 1 INTRODUCTION Introduction Background Founded in 1858, the town of Petaluma is located approximately 30 miles north of San Francisco in Sonoma County and has a population of nearly 60,000. The Petaluma City Schools include the Petaluma City Elementary and Petaluma Joint Union High School districts. The elementary district consists of six schools serving approximately 2,417 students, and the high school district consists of two junior high schools, a community day school for students in grades 7-9, a K-8 charter school, two comprehensive high schools, two alternative high schools, one continuation high school and one adult school. The high school district serves approximately 5,195 students. The city schools also sponsor two charter schools and acts as the local educational agency (LEA) for one independent charter school, Live Oak. Class size reduction has been implemented in grades K-3. Thirty-four percent of elementary age students and 25% of secondary students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch. The districts employ 925 certificated and classified staff and have a combined annual budget of $65 million. The districts enjoy the support of numerous volunteers. Parent groups include an educational foundation, PTA, service clubs, and groups to augment the athletic and fine arts programs. Volunteers also enrich classrooms and provide individual grants for teachers. Study Guidelines The Petaluma City Schools contracted with the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) to perform a technology review. A FCMAT study team visited the district on February 24 and 25, 2010 to conduct interviews, collect data, and review documents. This report is a result of those activities. The objectives of the technology review are to provide a detailed report on current technology issues and use and provide recommendations regarding the technology department’s organization and staffing to meet both instructional and business technology needs. Methods and Procedures With input from the district, FCMAT developed a 32-question staff technology survey. Invitations to complete the survey were distributed to all e-mail users among classified, certifi- cated and management staff. Two hundred fifty-six responses were recorded. The goal of the survey was to obtain unbiased information regarding the use and reach of and vision for technology. Participants were assured that all information collected would remain confidential. The survey was hosted at a third party location and did not seek to identify the source of information but to focus on the content and opinions provided by the participants. PetaluMa city schools 2 INTRODUCTION Petaluma Technology Survey Participants Classified Staff 82 (31%) Teachers Site 153 Administrators (60%) 10 (4%) District Administrators 9 (4%) No Answer 2 (1%) The 32 questions in the survey were grouped into the following eight categories. • Technology organization and support (five questions) • Professional development support (five questions) • Funding support (two questions) • Hardware and software support (four questions) • Network speed and security (four questions) • Communications tools (five questions) • Technology for instruction (five questions) • General comments (two questions) Appendix C includes a summary of the survey responses. FCMAT staff conducted two days of interviews with district administrators, information systems staff, site administrators, classified and certificated staff. Strategic, systems, financial, and compli- ance documents were reviewed and discussed as part of the interview process. Interviews with staff focused on understanding and measuring the level of technology staff support for administrative and educational technology, including the following: Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 3 INTRODUCTION • Network administration • Website development and support • E-mail support for district and site staff • Student attendance system • Financial reporting system • Hardware installation and setup • Software used at the district and sites • Technology in the classrooms Documents analyzed included the following: • Technology Master Plan • District board policies regarding the use and integration of district and site-based instructional strategies • Board policies regarding instructional technology, including obstacles to the effective use of technology. • Design of network and data safeguards • Job descriptions and organizational charts PetaluMa city schools 4 INTRODUCTION Study Team The FCMAT study team was comprised of the following members: Ajit Mandal * Chief Executive Officer, Proxient, Inc., Benicia, CA FCMAT Consultant Joseph Baker * Principal Proxient, Inc., Benicia, CA FCMAT Consultant Gary Meissner * Senior IT Consultant Proxient, Inc., Benicia, CA FCMAT Consultant Gary Quiring Implementation Specialist CSIS Mary Barlow Deputy Administrative Officer FCMAT Bakersfield, CA John Lotze Public Information Specialist FCMAT Bakersfield, CA * As members of the study team, these individuals were not representing their respective employers but were acting solely as independent contractors for FCMAT. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive Summary Petaluma City Schools has a goal of expanding and improving technology support services to include instructional technology. The district is struggling to keep pace with a rapidly increasing demand to provide support for technology in schools and district offices. Staff are enthusiastic about the prospect of meeting the technology demands but are challenged with reduced staff and reduced financial resources. By centralizing fiscal resources and technology decisions, the district can create efficiencies in operations and create more equity among school sites. FCMAT recommends that the district move from a decentralized system in which schools purchased and install educational technology independent of the technology department to a centralized approach in which the technology department coordinates all technology purchases, implementation, professional development and ongoing support. In the past, the district’s technology department has offered support for administrative and financial systems but has not provided support for educational technology. Many factors contributed to this situation, including a lack of district policies and procedures related to purchasing, procurement and deployment of educational technology, and the technology department staff’s lack of knowledge about educational technology. The district has recently made significant decisions to improve student outcomes through the use of technology, including implementation of the following projects: • Switching to Aeries student information system • Implementation of the Grade Book program at secondary school sites • Elementary report cards • Development of benchmarks and assessments • Implementation of Read 180 • Deployment of the Aeries student information system Parent Connect parent portal These large projects will affect the entire organization and provide an opportunity for the district to make procedural, operational and functional changes to the technology environment to meet implementation challenges and provide ongoing support for both educational and administrative technology. This expansion of the technology department’s role will require a restructuring of job descriptions, duties and organizational changes. Strategic Plan To begin this restructuring and revision of the technology department, the district should review and revise its technology master plan, the current version of which is outdated and does not indicate centralized support for both administrative and educational technology. The strategic technology master plan should communicate a clear vision for how technology should support the education of students. The plan should include curriculum-driven technology goals, profes- sional development planning, the role of technology support staff, funding, and a monitoring process to ensure that the plan is updated regularly. The technology department should be reorganized to support the vision and goals delineated in the plan, with an emphasis on increasing educational technology support. The plan should be developed by the technology committee, which needs to be composed of members who represent the full range of administrative and educational technology users, administrators and support PetaluMa city schools 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY staff. Recommendations from this study should guide the district as it develops its educational technology support structure. Reorganization From its inception, the technology department was assigned to support network, administrative technology and hardware systems. As the district implemented instructional, accountability and assessment technology, it purchased equipment and software in a decentralized manner. School sites and some departments research, order, purchase and sometimes install equipment and soft- ware without consulting and coordinating with the technology department, which is inconsistent with district policies. This has resulted in purchases of software products that are incompatible with existing equipment and purchases of technology that staff cannot maintain. The instructional technology and business technology departments should be restructured to meet the district’s goal to increase achievement for all students. This report provides sample orga- nizational charts and staffing comparisons with districts of similar size or organizational structure, selected by Petaluma City Schools. Also included are recommended changes to job functions to show the department’s revised role and responsibilities. Help Desk The district’s help desk consists mostly of e-mail requests and is focused on administrative tech- nology; the help desk is underused and does not capture and manage all help desk tickets. Technology department staff are often focused on administrative technology needs. Teachers who receive a stipend to provide educational technology support at sites attempt to resolve educa- tional technology issues for teachers and students before referring a user to the help desk. In some cases, if the issue cannot be resolved locally, the help desk is bypassed and a call is placed directly to technology department staff. A help desk management system should be implemented to capture all help desk calls and the nature of those calls. This will ensure more efficient use of technology support staff and provide senior management with the ability to quickly analyze strengths and weakness and make adjust- ments to better serve staff and students. It will also provide senior management with a snapshot of the types of difficulties users are experiencing. In some cases professional development can be provided to reduce the number of calls in specific areas, thereby reducing demand of staff resources. Professional Development The district lacks professional development for both technology users and support staff. The district should assess the technical ability of each member of the technology department support staff and determine the professional development needed for each position’s new duties. A special emphasis must be placed on providing professional development to technology department staff members so they can support the educational technology and instructional software and equipment used in the district and any future purchases that may be implemented. In addition, specific district employees in other departments have developed or acquired a broad knowledge of educational technology and its application in the classroom. Those staff members should provide direct professional development to classroom teachers districtwide. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Policies, Procedures and Systems The district should review and revise educational and administrative technology board policies and procedures to reflect the move from a decentralized to centralized approach. Revised policies and procedures should be reviewed with all department-level managers prior to implementation, and monitored for compliance. The board-adopted technology master plan should state the technology equipment and software standards for every classroom, including teacher computer, student computers, and educational equipment and software. Standardizing equipment, systems and software provides cost efficiencies in purchasing, delivery and installation. To support this effort, the district should conduct a full assessment of software, equipment, and infrastructure. The amount and quality of educational technology varies greatly from school to school. The district should seek to provide a basic level of technology in each classroom before expanding or improving technology at school sites that already exceed the basic level. The district’s technology budget should be revised to include the goal of technology equity among classrooms. This may require revisiting the technology funding allocation model. The district should develop proce- dures for determining replacement schedules for software and equipment. Some school sites have outdated and ineffective technology that is well past its typical life cycle. A replacement schedule will allow the district to quickly assess where to direct resources. This report includes recommen- dations and best practices in this area. New System Implementation The district implemented a new financial system this year and the Aries student information system three years ago. Implementation of any new technology system is challenging but can be improved with specific practices, clear and frequent communication, and planning. The district should use a more collaborative approach when considering a transition to a new system. Planning, research and discussion should involve the users who will be affected by the new system. The district has not systematically integrated professional development with the imple- mentation of new hardware, software, or other technology. The district should determine the level of staff development required before implementing any system and plan to provide initial training and ongoing support. PetaluMa city schools 8 PRIORITY RANKING OF RECOMMENDATIONS Priority Ranking of Recommendations To help the district plan effectively, each recommendation in this report has been given one of the following three levels of priority. Indicates issues that should be addressed as soon possible because they are critical to long-term success or are items that can be completed quickly. Indicates components that are important to operations or functions but can be placed slightly lower in a priority queue, usually dependent upon high priority items to be completed. Indicates works in progress or process improvements that are usually long- term initiatives. Although important, these items usually require fundamental organizational changes in behavior and are multiyear efforts. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 9 TECHNOLOGY PLAN Findings and Recommendations Technology Plan The district’s technology plan for July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2013 was developed to enable the district to qualify for E-Rate, Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) and other funding sources. Although the plan meets all requirements specified by the California Department of Education (CDE), it is not a living document that affects teaching and leaning districtwide. The district plans and implements its infrastructure, hardware and software with a focus on busi- ness services. The technology plan does not include meaningful standards for technology in the classroom or technology department support for educational technology. Although the technology plan adheres to best practices at the strategic level and focuses on seam- less integration of technology instruction, it fails to effectively address the creation of tangible steps to implement its goals equitably districtwide. For example, Goal 1A, objective 1a, is sound, supporting students to improve performance in English language arts (ELA). However, there are no concrete actions or monitoring protocols that would result in systemic support at all schools. The plan states: District and school site administrators and teachers are responsible for the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of all the aforementioned activities. Teachers are responsible for completing all necessary professional development and ensuring their instruction is based on standards-aligned objectives and research based programs, practices and arrangements. The district’s technology plan also states, “Each school site establishes a replacement policy for technology hardware and software.” This policy prevents the districtwide standardization of technology at school sites, making it nearly impossible to implement districtwide systems that support learning. These and other components of the district’s technology plan will continue to create a lack of equity between schools in the use of technology to support student learning. Implementing stan- dards for all technology equipment can help ensure equity for all teachers and students as well as provide support for effective training. The vast majority of school staff noted a lack of concrete actions and procedures. A consistent theme in interviews was a perception that district leadership encourages technology but there are deficiencies in implementation, particularly installation, training and support. Site personnel lack an understanding of how to implement the technology plan and how to link efforts with district initiatives. The district also has no communications structure to provide senior management or the governing board with information to allow them to track progress or adjust the plan. The district needs to develop a new technology plan that focuses on annual actions related to educational technology that support the district’s long-term goals. The plan will need to identify action steps associated with each goal, the position(s) responsible for completing each action step, and a timeline for completion and monitoring of each step. Regular meeting schedules for job- alike groups, district technology staff and other staff at schools also need to be included. PetaluMa city schools 10 TECHNOLOGY PLAN Recommendations The district should: 1. Develop a new technology master plan. 2. Require that each school site update its site technology plan to align with the district’s technology master plan. Consider using site-based technology commit- tees to develop a standard template for school technology plans. 3 Ensure that the technology plan includes standard educational hardware, software and professional development that can be provided to every school and classroom districtwide. Stakeholder Involvement The district’s technology plan includes a long list of staff, parents and community members involved in developing the plan, as well as nine committees that will monitor the implementa- tion of the plan. However, there is no evidence that this is taking place. Limited monitoring of the plan is occurring at district technology committee meetings, but the group is isolated and communication with key district committees is limited or nonexistent. There are staff representa- tives from most of the school sites but no evidence that goals and objectives are communicated to school site staff. There is limited evidence of communication that engages interested parties by There is limited providing a clear understanding of the steps needed to reach objectives and goals. There is also no evidence of communication with interested parties regarding the evidence of technology plan’s ongoing implementation. Communication regarding the success communication that of areas in which the technology plan has been implemented is also not effective. engages interested As a result, staff are not fully aware of the progress made. The district’s technology parties by providing committee has not communicated effectively, and site staff and administrators indicated that there is little follow through when implementing key components of a clear understanding the technology plan. of the steps needed The district could benefit from identifying key stakeholders from district depart- to reach objectives ments and school sites and creating a new technology implementation committee and goals. to help guide the development and implementation of annual technology goals as well as monitor and communicate the progress in implementing the plan. The committee would need to be composed of staff from the district office and school sites who can work across departments for a common purpose. Administrators and teacher leaders from school sites who understand how to implement the plan would be ideal committee members. The committee would need to focus on identifying barriers to implementation and creating an interdepartmental approach to overcoming those barriers. Communication and regular reporting of progress to all affected parties should be a priority. The district also needs to proactively establish two-way communication regarding all business and educational technology initiatives. This should include communication with all interested parties regarding short-term and long-term goals as well as progress toward those goals. Staff will need to be able to provide meaningful input regularly. Web-based communication, blogs and Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 11 TECHNOLOGY PLAN other tools can enable all staff to participate and become more invested in technology plans and initiatives. Recommendations The district should: 1. Create a technology implementation committee. 2. Develop a communication plan to engage all affected parties. Technology and the Curriculum The district’s technology goals for curriculum support are adequate but are not consistently tied to site plan goals and are not supported by a management process or organizational structure that enables systemwide implementation. The objectives and monitoring of each goal do not include the steps needed to implement systems and support them equitably districtwide. Core curriculum teachers support the use of technology, but many are not engaged because of a low level of district support for educational technology at the school sites. Educational software is not selected as part of the districtwide curriculum adoption process. Instead, it is selected at school sites according to available resources and how each administrator chooses to use allocated resources. As a result, some school sites use more sophisticated software applications while other sites do not have equipment capable of operating the software. Teachers are involved in developing site technology plans, but actions at school sites to align technology initiatives with the district’s educational goals are similarly inconsistent because the site technology plans are not aligned with the district plan. There has been some success in using technology such as Edusoft to manage assessment data to shape instruction, but teachers do not use it consistently. To close achievement gaps, the district will need to standardize technology resources districtwide. The district also does not use testing and benchmark standards consis- tently or districtwide. Common assessments are a positive development, but significant work is needed to achieve formative assessments. The integration of technology to support the core curriculum is most successful in school districts where curriculum and instruction staff and technology staff work collaboratively to plan, implement and support initiatives. The district will need to revise its technology plan to include an organizational structure in which the technology department and the curriculum and instruc- tion department work as a team on all educational technology initiatives. The district also needs to create a process and organizational structure that links the adoption of educational technology software with the curriculum approval process. The district needs to strengthen the connection between the adoption of educational technology and curriculum approval. PetaluMa city schools 12 TECHNOLOGY PLAN Recommendations The district should: 1. Create an organizational structure that allows the curriculum and instruction department and the technology department to work collaboratively on all educa- tional technology initiatives. 2. Develop a process to vet and approve new technology purchases. The district should create a technology steering committee made up of teachers, technology staff members and district administrators to vet and approve selected technology applications and devices that meet the grade-level curriculum stan- dards. The California Learning Resource Network website at http://www.clrn.org provides useful information regarding state-approved and aligned instructional technology. 3. Create a process and organizational structure that links educational technology and curriculum adoptions. Monitoring and Evaluation Although the district’s technology plan includes structures, staff and a template for reporting, and although it requires an annual report to the governing board, the district has not systematically monitored and evaluated the technology plan or reported to the board. The district has also not monitored which initiatives succeeded and which failed. Centralizing support for business and educational technology will give the administration and board the opportunity to more system- atically monitor, evaluate and adjust resources to meet needs. The technology plan’s Goal 2, District Professional Goal, states, “District site administrators and teachers will become proficient in the use of technology to improve student achievement data collection, analysis, reporting, and decision making.” The plan states that instruments used to evaluate progress are to include “district training records, usage records,” and that staff assigned to monitor progress include “district curriculum, data, and technology administrators and school administrators.” This type of broad structure for moni- toring and evaluation of all areas has not led to any significant gains in the area of professional development. Appendix B provides examples of monitoring and project management. Recommendations The district should: 1. Integrate the monitoring and evaluation of the technology plan into midyear and annual evaluations of the district’s goals. 2. Identify specific staff responsible for monitoring and evaluation. Responsibilities should include involving all affected parties in the process. Progress should be Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 13 TECHNOLOGY PLAN reported to school sites where results are validated, then reported to the district and the governing board. PetaluMa city schools 14 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 15 TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM Technology in the Classroom Technology varies widely from classroom to classroom. One teacher described her classroom as having one teacher computer with old software, while another teacher described her classroom as having fully integrated technology including a digital projector, five student computers with the latest intervention software, and great support from parents. Staff at one school noted that they still used hardware that could only run Windows 95, virtually eliminating their access to current educational software. Technology department network security protocols and the age of hardware often limit Internet resources. Aging hardware also limits access to other technology resources. Maintenance of aging equipment is also hindered by a lack of spare parts. Many teacher workstations are old and have too little memory, which minimizes application use. Teachers need Aeries, Edusoft, and other administrative applications to guide their instructional planning. The capacity of older workstations in classrooms and network slowdowns affect teachers’ ability to use advanced multimedia and teacher resources such as video Technology streaming. varies widely The absence of a districtwide technology vision and systems and procedures for from classroom delivering educational technology to classrooms has led to an ad hoc school-by-school to classroom. approach that results in some good examples of technology support for core instruction but leaves the majority of classrooms far behind. Staff face challenges when seeking support for installing educational hardware and software in classrooms. Although there are teacher leaders at school sites, until now, the issue of educational technology and training has not been brought to the level of districtwide leadership and support. Staff members indicated a desire for technology standards for classrooms, libraries and labs. Staff currently use three disparate systems to track student progress but would like to use a single system. Elementary school staff are looking forward to a standards-based report card. The district has begun piloting the Read 180 research-based English language arts intervention program for English learners, students with disabilities, students from low-income households, and students from minority ethnic groups at one junior high school and one senior high school, but both sites have had problems with program setup and implementation. For example, one site encountered opposition from the technology department when they wanted to change how the equipment was to be installed, even though the changes requested focused on better meeting students’ needs. In addition, the technology department was not able to analyze the existing equipment to determine if the proposed software would function properly. This resulted in additional implementation costs. Teachers felt more training was needed in the use of Read 180 software. Implementation of the grade K-6 Envision math curriculum and software is in its second year; however, many teachers are struggling to use the technology components of this curriculum. Ongoing support is provided at the school site level, but, except in the case of voluntary study group sessions at elementary schools, it is limited to one staff member asking another for assis- tance. Staff members indicated that professional development must be part of any technology plan and cited as an example the “No Colleague Left Behind” approach used at Grant elementary school, which pairs technology novices with advanced teachers so that the more technologically advanced teacher can mentor and provide on-site assistance to the novice. PetaluMa city schools 16 TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM Many school districts have successfully improved educational technology use by deploying a standard hardware and software package that can be more easily supported by technology staff. For software, the use of standard computer images for educational technology has enabled many school districts to improve the equity of access across all schools by ensuring that all teachers and students have similar software. Another important result is the ability of computer support staff to improve productivity through training on systems that are standard at all schools and the ability to remotely troubleshoot with imaged computers tied to a managed network. Instructional Software The district’s technology plan contains lists of software available at school sites, and the district provided FCMAT with extensive lists of instructional software used. However, the district lacks standard procedures for instructional software acquisition, installation, implementation and support. Without exception, site administrators and teachers indicated and technology staff The district lacks confirmed that access to software is different from the lists provided in the plan and varies from school to school and from classroom to classroom, even when the standard procedures teachers teach similar subjects. Because of these issues with implementation and for instructional because of limited professional development and ongoing support, many teachers software acquisition, either do not have or are not able to use most software. Grant Elementary School installation, is the exception and has excellent and widely used software programs. All staff are ready for a more centralized support system, and there is growing support for implementation and systems that are supported districtwide. support. The use of Edusoft varies from site to site, and missing data in Edusoft has led to a variety of issues, including confusion over the alignment of test questions with standards and teachers accessing benchmarks from the previous year because of a lack of communication. In addition, some teachers did not regularly use the benchmark tests. This affected the validity of the data and as a result the training. Some teachers came to trainings with no data, and in some cases principals resorted to processing data themselves rather than the teachers doing so and using it for formative assessment. There has been districtwide training on the Aeries student information system, MUNIS and Edusoft software programs. However, the district lacks standard procedures for developing data entry codes. District staff also indicated that there are gaps in the Aeries data entry process and, although the district has user management procedures, they are not always followed. Because of decentralization, the district has no policy or procedures regarding software selec- tion. There are also no standard installation and set up procedures. The district is beginning to evaluate software and develop the process for doing so. Districtwide standards and processes for software purchase and implementation, including input from school sites, vetting by the technology committee and approval by the cabinet, could provide a more systematic approach that ensures assent and support from all affected parties. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 17 TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM Recommendations The district should: 1. Develop technology standards for all classrooms, with a focus on equity for all students and teachers. See Appendix E for a sample set of standards. 2. Ensure that technology staff implement procedures for improving communica- tion with schools regarding installing and supporting technology in the class- room. Technology staff should make it their highest priority to communicate clearly before, during and after providing support or implementing new systems. 3. Consider developing and implementing districtwide software standards. As noted in the technology plan findings, software that supports the core instructional program should be part of the curriculum adoption process. Other software should be vetted by the technology committee with input from the school sites, and approved by the cabinet. 4. Develop an infrastructure, hardware and software plan that begins with the teacher and student experience in the classroom. All components of the plan should focus on delivering the tools and training to support the core curriculum through technology. 5. Ensure that the district technology team always provides support to district and school site staff, including expertise and research, to analyze and select the appro- priate software. PetaluMa city schools 18 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 19 SYSTEM AND USER SUPPORT System and User Support The district is struggling to keep pace with a rapidly increasing demand to provide support for technology in schools and district offices. Staff are enthusiastic in trying to meet technology demands, but there are minimal staff and financial resources, few standards, limited communica- tion, no sustainable training, no educational technology replacement plan, and little technical support because of reduced hours. The district’s main business information systems have been in place for many years. The technology department has focused on supporting these systems and networks Support staff members’ at the district office and school sites. Historically, individual school sites have had estimates of time spent to provide technical support for instructional technology tools at their sites, and in direct contact with thus the level of support varies greatly. At some schools, teachers with a high level school site staff ranged of technology skills provide support, at others computer lab coordinators provide support, and at still others support is funded by their PTA or school site council. from a low of 10% of The district’s past practice was to end district support at the network connections their total time to a in the wall. One group of teachers indicated their perception that technology high of 45%. This may support lacks a service-oriented approach and focuses more on what cannot be indicate that technicians done. are under-used. Although the technology department’s relationship with the educational services department has improved over the past year, technology staff are neither trained in nor comfortable with supporting and configuring educational hardware and software for teachers. Outdated hardware and a lack of inventory procedures also hinder the technology department’s ability to support systems and users. Support staff members’ estimates of time spent in direct contact with school site staff ranged from a low of 10% of their total time to a high of 45%. This may indicate that technicians are under-used and could provide more technology support in the classrooms if they are provided with professional development on the software systems. As indicated earlier, instructional software applications receive inconsistent district-level tech- nology department support. In addition, staff do not always know who supports which systems and functions. Implementation of the Read 180 program is an example of a principal taking the initiative and bypassing the district’s lack of educational technology support by using an outside vendor. In another instance, a principal hired a district staff member for three hours per day to provide support. Although seeking alternative support worked in these cases, it is not a sustain- able long-term solution to the district’s support issues. The district would be better served by the technology department providing adequate support for instructional technology initiatives. The district needs to manage technology more efficiently so principals are not drawn into time- consuming technology issues. Resources to support labs in elementary schools are diminishing, and some schools outsource computer equipment support. Many lab coordinators support hardware and software and train teachers on an ad hoc basis. Some districts use mobile labs to increase technology use. In this time of limited resources, it may be helpful to review the allocation and use of educational technology resources and consider reallocating resources from labs to classrooms to provide all students with daily access to technology tools and resources. PetaluMa city schools 20 SYSTEM AND USER SUPPORT Teachers are trained to contact the site technology representative for assistance and the district has procedures for requesting assistance, but teachers often remain unsure about how to get support and these protocols are often not followed. Instead, requests for help are often sent directly to technicians. The human resources department uses a technology department notification form to inform the technology department of new employees, terminated employees, location changes and employee name changes. When the form is received, the technology services department provides employees with user IDs and passwords to access e-mail, address books, Aeries and other administrative applications. The form also indicates what training is needed. However, in spite of current procedures, there is a lack of communication with the human resources department and other departments about giving employees access to network and technology resources. The tech- nology department notification form is not always sent on time and sometimes lacks information about what systems the employee is to have access to or what training is needed. Trouble tickets are submitted to the help desk on paper, by e-mail or by phone. However, response to trouble tickets is slow and there is no communication to users regarding the status of their request. In addition, the district’s procedures for making trouble calls are rarely followed. Staff also indicated that technology staff do not notify users in advance of visits to provide repairs or support. Technicians also schedule their own work, which may not result in an optimal balance of workloads. Use of the online help desk management system could improve support response time and tracking. Recommendations The district should: 1. Ensure that the technology department develops clear and sustainable commu- nication with departments. Official communication on important issues should be provided via formal numbered and dated bulletins that are sent by technology management and that contain a subject heading and a message. The telephone or e-mail can be used for immediate communication in case technology work is expected to cause a service outage. 2. Reorganize and retrain the technology department to provide comprehensive support at school sites that focuses on teachers’ and students’ needs rather than on hardware and network support alone. Analyze needs at each school site and realign technology support staff to serve schools based on need while making the best use of limited staffing resources. 3. Review and update procedures for trouble calls to the help desk for both school site and district office personnel. Create and provide users with documentation that indicates how to submit requests for service. 4. Assess customer satisfaction regularly to identify successes and areas that need additional attention. 5. Improve communications with the human resources department and establish procedures to promptly provide new employees and employees whose status has changed with access to network and technology resources. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 21 SYSTEM AND USER SUPPORT 6. Research, acquire and implement a help desk system that includes the following features and capabilities: • A Web-based interface that is easy to use and graphically tabbed so administrators, teachers, and staff need only a web browser to use the application. • A relational database back end to ensure that all information is safely stored and to provide efficient management and reporting. • Help request prioritization to enable management to determine which technician is assigned to a new support call and balance the work load. • Client request and self-help capabilities to provide staff with access to self-help features and a simple interface to make and track support requests. • Remote access to users’ computers to allow technicians to troubleshoot problems remotely. • The ability to gather inventory data on users’ hardware and software. The district should also focus on fully implementing reporting features that enable a monthly review of the use of technology staff to accomplish the district’s priorities such as support of educational technology at school sites. 7. Establish a structured way to obtain feedback from users regarding technology department staff and services. The feedback should include user input, regular staff evaluation and professional development plans. 8. Consider reallocating technology resources from labs to classrooms to provide students with more frequent access. PetaluMa city schools 22 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 23 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION; INSTALLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION; INVENTORY; AND REPLACEMENT Technology Acquisition; Installation and Implementation; Inventory; and Replacement Acquisition The district lacks technology acquisition policies and procedures, and the district and its technology department provide limited involvement or leadership in There is little planning this area. The district has a decentralized approach to hardware and software for major districtwide purchases: school sites and users purchase hardware and software, resulting projects, and the district in both difficulty and disparity. In some cases, the systems purchased are not compatible with the district’s existing systems. The technology department does lacks both a software not review all purchases. There is a policy requiring that a purchase request be adoption policy and submitted for these items, but it is often ignored. If this policy were adhered to, technology purchasing many difficulties could be avoided. standards. There is little planning for major districtwide projects, and the district lacks both a software adoption policy and technology purchasing standards. Most technology planning is ad hoc at school sites, resulting in unsustainable technolo- gies. School site staff need support to research software and determine if it is compatible with the hardware. The district has no long-range plans regarding infrastructure, hardware and software for class- rooms and labs. The district needs to develop technology standards for schools, classrooms, labs and libraries to ensure equity. Outdated equipment donated to the district sometimes makes it difficult or impossible to imple- ment new software. Board Policy 3290, Gifts, Grants and Bequests, adopted June 25, 2002 specifies the following: Before accepting a gift, the Board shall consider whether the gift: 1. Has a purpose consistent with the district’s vision and philosophy 2. Begins a program which the Board would be unable to continue when the donated funds are exhausted 3. Entails undesirable or excessive costs 4. Implies endorsement of any business or product This policy is not always adhered to and the district has incurred expense to install, support and maintain equipment that may not meet district goals. The district has developed a donation form that includes a location for the lead administrator’s signature but no location for the director of technology’s signature. The technology department will need to review all donations of technology equipment or software to ensure that they can be supported and sustained. The district has no policy or procedure for determining if the network or the local computer hardware and operating system can support a particular application prior to a purchase. In addi- tion some school sites or individual teachers bypass the technology department when purchasing PetaluMa city schools 24 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION; INSTALLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION; INVENTORY; AND REPLACEMENT technology items. This has resulted in a number of issues that have hampered the use of tech- nology in the classroom, including the following: • A site purchased and installed an instructional application for the computer lab but could not run it because of an old operating system and a lack of memory. • As mentioned previously, the district has not addressed implementation and training support when applying for and receiving technology grants. This has hampered the use of technology in the classroom, including in the following instances: • The district recently received a corporate donation of 3M projectors and required sites to complete an application to receive the devices and training. Although there was initial training on how to use the device for instruction, the district did not provide ongoing support. • The district supported school sites when applying for a grant to acquire SMART Boards but provided minimal support for the installation, which was completed by the vendor. Site-based grants did not include funding for professional development to support implementation and use, and the district has provided no professional development. Thus the use and integration of these devices varies greatly. Recommendations The district should: 1. Establish a districtwide technology purchasing policy and process that includes technology department review and approval for all purchases. 2. Use districtwide technology standards to identify priority technology needs. 3. Develop districtwide technology standards for student computers, teacher computers, educational software and equipment, and data systems. 4. Ensure that the donation form is used when accepting technology donations, and revise the form to include a location for the director of technology’s signa- ture. 5. Ensure that the technology department assesses every proposed donation of tech- nology equipment and software to ensure that it meets or exceed the district’s standards, and that it can be sustained and supported even when the donated funds or equipment have been exhausted. 6. Provide ongoing training and support for new hardware and software to ensure effective implementation. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 25 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION; INSTALLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION; INVENTORY; AND REPLACEMENT Installation and Implementation The district’s ability to effectively implement and use technology is hampered by ineffective communication between the technology department and other departments and school sites. The lack of communication results in a lack of clarity regarding the status of technology projects. The technology department also does not always cooperate in implementation efforts when they are asked to step in after a system has been selected or a vendor has failed to properly install the system. District technology staff have created standards for business-related system hardware installation. There is a standard image for all business computers and a process that The district needs enables efficient implementation and support; however, there is no standard image a new strategy for computers used in classrooms. There is also no evidence of standards for educa- for allocating all tional technology hardware and setup. A standard image for all computers would improve the district’s capacity to maintain and support instructional technology. hardware and The district has experienced significant issues recently in communication and software; the project management related to software implementation and support, highlighting strategy should weaknesses in this area. Many implementations take longer than anticipated because begin with a focus of a lack of project management practices. In addition, failures to respond to on what is needed educational software implementation requests have led to school sites pursuing their own implementation and support strategies. Staff who use software systems have in classrooms to frequently been excluded from the implementation team, and implementation plans achieve technology have not been communicated to users. equity. Interviews and a lack of technology department communication protocols also indicated a consistent trend of poor communication related to hardware installation and set up, including in the following instances: • A lack of coordination and quality assurance has led to problems with SMART board installations and installation of 3M projectors. • Hardware received from grants has not been implemented in a timely manner, and no communication was provided regarding follow-up training or support. • The technology department implemented software to manage computers, but staff did not understand that they could no longer install new applications on their computer themselves. While this may help advance the goal of standardizing the software on every computer, staff should be informed of the new policy. • Communication regarding time lines for implementation are not effective; school site staff have become frustrated because a realistic installation date was not communicated The district needs a new strategy for allocating all hardware and software; the strategy should begin with a focus on what is needed in classrooms to achieve technology equity. PetaluMa city schools 26 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION; INSTALLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION; INVENTORY; AND REPLACEMENT Recommendations The district should: 1. Establish and use standard images for all computers. The image should contain the standard, approved educational software. Images for elementary, middle and high school classrooms will differ but will enable improved support and training. 2. Develop a long-term technology plan that includes hardware and software stan- dards for schools, classrooms, labs and libraries to ensure equity and support. 3. Ensure that prior to installing equipment the technology department clearly communicates expectations to those who are receiving the equipment. Communication should include an inventory of the equipment they are receiving, the staff member responsible for installation, training, and whom to contact to resolve issues after installation. 4. Ensure that whenever a major technology project is implemented, the tech- nology department develops a project management plan that includes processes and standards. The plan should also include a time line, a list of equipment, who is responsible for installation, and who is responsible for follow-up support. This information should be communicated to all staff affected by the implementation. 5. Ensure that the technology department, in cooperation with senior district administration, creates a process to identify software deployment priorities for the upcoming year. Prioritize all requests and agree on a time line based on the district’s priorities rather than those of competing departments. 6. Include technology managers in interdepartmental meetings and communica- tions to ensure coordination of services, adequate needs assessment and evalua- tion of services against identified needs. Inventory The district lacks a process for regular inventory of educational software and hardware. Recommendations The district should: 1. Perform a physical inventory of all technology equipment at schools and district offices. Include information such as manufacturer, asset number, serial number and location. Results should be entered into an asset management system and maintained regularly. Consider exporting or linking this information to a help desk management system. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 27 TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION; INSTALLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION; INVENTORY; AND REPLACEMENT Replacement The district lacks an adequate and up-to-date replacement plan for its technology assets, including its network infrastructure. The district has no plan for the replacement of aging computers. The last California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) survey of the district was completed in 2008, at which time more than 70% of the district’s computers were more than four years old. It is difficult to run current appli- cations on older equipment because of speed and memory requirements, and older equipment is difficult for technical staff to maintain. Teachers may also avoid using older technology because of a belief that it is prone to failure. Recommendations The district should: 1. Create a districtwide replacement plan for hardware and software that identifies the budgets for both business services and educational technology. The plan should include replacement of desktop computers every four years. The district should consider all available funding sources and create mechanisms to optimize purchasing power, such as off leases, donations, grants and bond measures. 2. Ensure that the technology plan includes minimum standards for all hardware, software and peripheral technology equipment for classrooms. This should include wireless access points, computer hardware, operating systems, educational software and equipment such as digital projectors and SMART boards. Appendix E includes sample standards. 3. Consider hiring a qualified network contractor to analyze and document the network infrastructure to identify equipment, software, and new standards that should be included in a revised technology replacement plan. The review should include end-of-life components and new standards for the district’s wide area network (WAN) and the local area networks (LANs) at each school site. Documentation should include LAN - WAN diagrams, wired and wireless standards, environmental standards, network hardware standards, server build standards, monitoring tools, and security management systems. PetaluMa city schools 28 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 29 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Professional Development Because the district’s organizational structure for technology has historically been decentral- ized, the majority of professional development for instructional technology is determined at the school sites and varies greatly; there is minimal districtwide coordination. The district’s professional development calendar has only basic professional development offerings, and staff members consistently indicated that districtwide professional development related to educational technology is lacking. The only technology-related professional development supported by the district’s education services department is the voluntary 45-minute study group sessions provided by lab coordinators at the elementary schools on early release Wednesdays. However, even this training is developed and implemented by school sites, not the district. Training for software is also inconsistent; it is provided variously by vendors, the county office of education, interested teachers and even parents. As a result, some Site staff indicated staff do not understand or use many of the software applications. More training that they would is needed for programs like Edusoft. The county office of education provided like the district Edusoft training, but the system was not used regularly and ongoing support is needed. Because of the lack of training and issues with the Edusoft setup, sites to coordinate and sometimes use the wrong data from previous years. There is also no system for provide standard tracking training, monitoring its effectiveness or determining who needs training professional on which systems. development regarding When the district acquires new instructional technology hardware or software the use of technology using grant funds, the need for professional development and support is rarely addressed unless the grant includes a professional development requirement. in the classroom. District support has focused on successfully meeting the grant application require- ments, not on addressing the district and/or site implementation plan to ensure that staff receive appropriate technical and professional development. Staff members’ comments regarding professional development indicate that the level of support varies from site to site. The train the trainer model of professional development has been tried but has not been successful in sustaining some technology initiatives. Librarians have ideas for using technology to support instruction; the district needs to provide a means for teachers and librarians to work together to achieve this. A lack of professional development is one of the two most common hindrances to teachers’ inte- gration and use of technology tools (the other hindrance is inadequate technical support). Site staff indicated that they would like the district to coordinate and provide standard professional development regarding the use of technology in the classroom. Technology Staff Training The district’s technology staff have received little or no training. Interviews and documentation reviewed indicate that there is no sustained program for improving technology support staff members’ skills and thus their productivity. Only three individuals have received training during the past year. The lack of training needed to support the various software used throughout the district has increased the time needed to troubleshoot simple problems. Training of technology support staff is essential if the district is to successfully add educational technology and software support to their responsibilities. PetaluMa city schools 30 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Recommendations The district should: 1. Make professional development in the area of technology a high priority. Professional development should be systematically planned and implemented for every new software or hardware deployment, and combined with curriculum and instruction and other departments to leverage limited resources. The professional development model should not be created in isolation; the district should copy what works and use exemplary schools as a model of how a district and schools can develop sustainable professional development. 2. Survey staff regarding professional development needs. Work with the district’s technology steering committee to develop a survey of teacher professional development needs regarding technology skills. Use the results to drive professional development activities. 3. Assess staff training needs for Edusoft and other applications. Use assessment results to develop a training plan for each of the applications. Seek established resources to provide training. For example, California School Information Services (CSIS), a division of FCMAT, has a training session for district leaders and staff that are new to data management or are having issues with their data governance. The training is free and consists of two two-hour WebEx sessions, held a week apart. Further infor- mation is available at http://www.csis.k12.ca.us/e-learning/services-registration/ default.asp 4. Ensure that regular and focused training is provided for technology department staff. The technology department should assess its staff members’ training needs, including the need for training in critical instructional software used at the district and school sites. Specific staff may be trained as experts on certain software packages, but all staff should be familiar with all software so they can provide basic support. 5. Develop districtwide professional development opportunities based on survey results and in collaboration with the curriculum and instruction department. These training opportunities should be offered at the district and at school labs when appropriate, and should be conducted by district employees who have been identified as proficient in their subject area and the use of the technology or software application. Training in newly implemented systems and software should be mandatory and provided by the district or by the vendor as part of an in-service or staff development during a minimum day. Continued support during implementation should be provided by identified district experts who can serve in the field. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 31 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 6. Explore and adopt online training opportunities so that teachers and staff can access training from any location with an internet connection. 7. Provide an Intranet site on the Web for teachers to collaborate and post best practices in technology integration. These can include instructional strategies, sample lessons, Web resources, wikis and blogs for ongoing collaboration. PetaluMa city schools 32 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 33 FISCAL ISSUES Fiscal Issues The district’s technology funding and budget is out of date and needs to be aligned with current budget assumptions and priorities. Funding for educational technology has declined steadily for the past three years, with some dramatic reductions from year to year. For example, from fiscal year 2007-08 to fiscal year 2008-09, annual equipment funding declined from $114,000 to $15,000. The Aeries implementation in 2007-08 accounted for the majority of the expenditures for that fiscal year. The district’s decentralized technology planning and implementation creates fiscal inefficiencies; individual school sites hire consultants and purchase and install software. There is little evidence that purchases are grouped to reduced costs. The use of consultants who do not receive guidance or support from district technology leaders results in duplication of efforts and limited benefits to those who use technology to support core instruction. Although the parent-teacher associations at some schools support technology, a districtwide fiscal plan must be developed to ensure equity. Districtwide grant writing would be beneficial to the schools, and funding for a technology replacement plan will be needed to keep technology current. Two parcel taxes provide support for technology in schools: Measure D provides $115,000 annually to the elementary school district, and Measure C provides $330,000 annually to the high school district. Recommendations The district should: 1. Develop a new funding plan and allocation strategy for hardware and software. The technology department and business department should collaborate to review all hardware and software technology spending districtwide. All site budgets should also be reviewed and duplication of technology spending and efforts identified. Allocations should focus on classroom needs and equity. 2. Develop a comprehensive plan to fund technology staffing to support essential systems and district goals. The plan should provide strategic support and approach technology staffing in a comprehensive manner rather than allow schools to fund technology staff in an ad hoc manner. 3. Seek funding from alternative sources such as grants and community fund- raising. PetaluMa city schools 34 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 35 NETWORK ADMINISTRATION Network Administration Because of a lack of financial and technology resources, network organization, support and capacity do not always meet classroom and instructional needs. Network management and related support issues are becoming major obstacles to supporting technology in the classrooms. Numerous school site and department staff indicated that the network is slow, does not have the capacity to support instructional applications, and has restricted connectivity (including wireless access). Many of these issues are a result of aging hardware, including older workstations that are often inadequate to fully support some instructional applications and services. The technology department has restricted connectivity (including wireless access) because of valid concerns about security. The district indicated that providing widespread wireless access would be prohibitively expensive in the current financial climate; the focus is on wired delivery of wired internet access. The district has not established a formal process for reviewing instructional technology services or possible changes to security settings. Security restrictions on technology are also not clearly communicated to staff. In one instance a planned online activity connecting a high school class at Petaluma High School and another high school across the county was terminated without notice because technology staff perceived a security issue. This and other similar events have adversely affected technology use to support learning. Many principals and teachers have requested wireless network access. School sites often set up their own wireless access only to have the technology department attempt to shut them down due to security concerns. The district should evaluate the educational value of a wireless network, assess the need for it, make a determination, and communicate that decision. A review of the network is needed to locate bottlenecks and identify support issues. The technology department should research the issue with wireless contractors to determine costs and methods of implementation. These findings should then be submitted to the technology committee so that new standards can be developed and recommendations provided to the district administration for consideration. Recommendations The district should: 1. Inventory aging technology by developing criteria for collecting information on desktop computers that are more than four years old, including memory, operating systems, CPU speeds, and requirements for educational and business software. 2. Ensure that the technology department provides all district and school site staff with a list of support staff, contact information and responsibilities so that every staff member understands whom to contact for the type of technology support and Internet access they need. 3. Ensure that the technology department researches standardizing wireless network access for schools with wireless contractors to determine costs and methods for implementation. Findings should be submitted to the technology committee so that new standards can be developed and reviewed annually. PetaluMa city schools 36 NETWORK ADMINISTRATION 4. Develop a network infrastructure that focuses on delivery of educational content to classrooms. The network design should address specific issues to support educational tech- nology, from the Opt-E-main routers’ settings at speeds supporting streaming video to the LAN structure to support connectivity in each classroom. The district should also develop clear network management protocols that will support and encourage educational technology use. 5. Consider using a qualified network contractor to analyze, document and propose solutions to improve network performance and security. The review should include the district’s wide area network (WAN) and the local area networks (LANs) at each school site. Meanwhile, the district should imme- diately address any known issues that can be easily solved, such as bandwidth adjustment on the WAN if needed. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 37 NETWORK AND DATA SECURITY Network and Data Security The district has a documented disaster recovery plan dated October 22, 2009. The plan includes backup and recovery of key systems including Internet access, payroll, Aeries and GroupWise e-mail. The plan largely reflects procedures for the district office but does not include procedures for school disaster recovery, such as backup of school servers. The district office depends on four major technology services and applications, in the following order of priority. 1) Internet access 2) Accounting 3) Aeries (student information system) 4) GroupWise (e-mail) According to the district’s disaster recovery plan for business technology, most server software is downloaded and/or backed up from the internet. The rest of the software is located in the tech- nology office or in the fireproof safe in the network operations center (NOC). The plan includes an equipment inventory for the NOC and all site main distribution frames (MDFs). All servers are backed up daily at the district office, and the daily tapes are stored in the fireproof safe in the NOC. At the end of every month one tape per server is placed in the district’s safe deposit box at Wells Fargo bank. These tapes are saved for a minimum of two years. The district saves end-of-year tapes until there is no way to restore them with current technology. The district uses modern and effective firewall, Web content management, and spam filtering technologies. These technologies are implemented predominantly through various hardware appliances, including Cisco ASA firewall for network address translation (NAT) and stateful packet inspection, Palo Alto Networks app firewall, the Smartfilter DA content filter, and M+Guardian spam manager. Enterprise antivirus software (CA eTrust Threat Manager Suite) is installed on all clients and servers. Recommendations The district should: 1. Review and revise the disaster recovery plan to ensure that procedures in the plan are being followed and that the plan includes new requirements, including school technology functions such as server backup. 2. Maintain spare equipment for mission-critical systems, redundant routers, servers and other equipment to enable immediate replacement of failed network equip- ment. For components that are too expensive to keep spares on hand, ensure that there is a vendor support contact that can provide replacement within one business day. PetaluMa city schools 38 Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 39 SYSTEMS Systems Student Attendance System The district is implementing the Aeries Grade Book software system in secondary schools. Some teachers have been resistant to this change because they prefer to use other grade books such as Easy Grade Pro. Schools are not always aware of and do not always follow established standards for entering data in the Aeries program correctly and on time. There is also no clear process for correcting and entering missing data. However, the district plans to create standards for Aeries system data entry. A review of the district’s implementation of the Aeries software system indicates that the district needs to review priorities for continued deployment of features such as Grade Book and the parent portal. Previously, a district Aeries group met every other week during implementations, but this group has not met this year to address crucial next steps in implementing the system. As a result, there is no clear process for communicating and supporting the linkage of the Aeries and Edusoft databases, both of which are critically important. Training of counselors in Aeries data entry is inconsistent, and there is no training for staff in K-6 schools. Teachers also lack training in using the Aeries grade book function; however, a pilot program is in progress. Sometimes district staff must develop student data manually because of a lack of training in how to extract the data from Aeries. Significant time is lost on these activities. Training and guidance regarding improving data quality in Aeries is similarly inconsistent. District staff bypass site staff and clean the data themselves to ensure data quality, thus ensuring site staff members’ continuing inability to improve data quality. Staff also experience challenges in extracting data from Aeries to develop custom reports to help monitor student performance and behavior, and key staff members do not understand the rela- tionship between Aeries and Edusoft. The district’s Aeries support structure is fragmented and ineffective. Staff are not trained to use the Aeries system fully to improve access to data with reduced time. The district is struggling to implement the Aeries parent connection portal. In addition, implementation of Grade Book has just begun and ongoing support will be an issue as the implementation continues. Recommendations The district should: 1. Adopt a single standard for grade book software to minimize training and ongoing support needs. 2. Develop an Aeries project management plan that addresses the implementation of these new components. The plan should include monitoring to ensure the project is progressing as planned. A project manager should be assigned and the revised plan should be disseminated to all who use or depend on Aeries. 3. Re-evaluate Aeries training and determine which position should provide training for basic Aeries functions and Aeries browser interface (ABI) attendance. PetaluMa city schools 40 SYSTEMS Develop written procedures or training aides or video of screen shots with narra- tion as tools to assist with training. 4. Develop data entry standards for the Aeries software system. Review data entry requirements and the monitoring and timing of Aeries data collection, and develop a data management calendar that includes responsibilities across schools and departments to ensure that the district maximizes potential funding and meets state and federal reporting requirements. 5. Evaluate all staff resources at schools and district offices and determine how they might be used to ensure ongoing support of Aeries. Prepare a report of actions to be taken and implement those actions. Financial Reporting System The district is moving to the MUNIS financial system from the Sonoma County Office of Education’s financial system, which was supported by county office staff. Before implementing MUNIS, the decision was made to exclude the technology department from the implementation and ongoing support structure because of concerns about their capacity to provide support. Staff indicated that more training is needed in use of the MUNIS system and that they are not trained to fully use the system’s functions. Transactions posted in the system often do not show in the budget balances until a few days later. Staff who manage budgets do not always have the correct access to view their budget. Additional training is also needed in understanding MUNIS reports. Recommendations The district should: 1. Review training documentation and revise it as needed. 2. Evaluate and assess staff members’ training needs and gaps in knowledge, and develop a basic and ongoing training plan. The district should develop a basic training course, an advanced course and ongoing training. 3. Ensure that the business department reviews all MUNIS documentation, and provide all eligible users at both the district and school sites with a list of support staff contact information and responsibilities so that they understand whom to contact for MUNIS support. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 41 SYSTEMS Website Development There is inequity among school websites because of a lack of standards, training, and support. Schools maintain their websites largely on their own. Website updates take days or longer, and there is no staff member responsible for training. The technology department has a one-page document that outlines the structure for websites, but it is a high level document that provides no guidance to departments or sites, and any effect it may have is not apparent in school and department websites. The district lacks meaningful standards for website structure and development, and there is no intranet for sharing such resources. The district also lacks a central web- There is strong based calendar. At the same time, staff are interested in the potential for website use, staff interest in an particularly podcasts and streaming video. intranet to share There is no evidence of training to help school sites or departments use websites to information across improve communication. One department noted that it had purchased a template- the district. based web site development tool because it had no support or training. There is strong staff interest in an intranet to share information across the district, such as online calendars for administrators, event calendars for schools and the district office to improve communication, and teacher postings of instructional strategies, sample lessons, web resources, wikis and blogs for ongoing collaboration and sharing of best practices in curriculum delivery and technology integration. Staff members also expressed interest in web-based access to training, and in the use of web-based communication of student academic information and homework assignments. Website templates are an efficient tool that, once implemented, can allow nontechnology staff members to easily update website content. Many districts use this technology to maintain control and standards while enabling school site and department staff to manage content. The district needs communication tools that allow sharing of meeting minutes and calendars. Web-based communication is underused but could save staff time and improve communication at both the district and site level. Because of staffing limitations and the historically decentralized approach to technology support, the district has no structure for supporting and managing web-based communication. A compre- hensive web management tool would allow district offices, schools, teachers and departments to easily manage their websites, thus reducing support issues. Recommendations The district should: 1. Develop and use standard website templates for elementary, middle, high school and district department sites. The templates should have a consistent look and feel. Designate one staff member per school site or department to build, support and maintain the website. Provide training for all website administrators at least annually. PetaluMa city schools 42 SYSTEMS 2. Consider forming a team of principals, teachers and administrators to develop requirements for a web-based communication and an Intranet for staff. 3. Evaluate each school and department’s website development training and development support needs. This may provide assistance in the short term until the district can implement a comprehensive web management solution as recom- mended below. 4. Purchase and implement a comprehensive web management tool that replaces the various tools currently in use. This should only be done after requirements have been defined for teacher, school and district websites; parent access; intranet features for calendars, podcasting, blogs and collaboration; and other desired functions. E-mail Almost all staff members use e-mail successfully. Staff noted that it is difficult to use the current e-mail system from home. The current Novell GroupWise e-mail system’s support for post office protocol (POP) e-mail accounts is not enabled because of the heavy support requirements of this protocol. Recommendations The district should: 1. Review the e-mail access policy and change it if necessary to include all staff. 2. Consider migrating the current Novell Groupwise e-mail system to a Microsoft Exchange e-mail environment for improved management, support and user experience. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 43 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Staffing, Organization and Job Descriptions The district’s technology department is organized primarily to support business systems rather than educational technology. The technology department’s organizational structure, staffing and staff skill sets are not opti- mized to meet the goals of the district’s technology plan. Layoffs in the technology department have also hampered support efforts, as have reduced hours. A review of the department’s various job descriptions is needed to match skills with job functions. Unless current structures and prac- tices are changed, the district will not be able to move to a more centralized support system for educational technology. Staffing Staffing Comparisons FCMAT obtained technology department staffing data from five California school districts selected by Petaluma City Schools. The comparison districts surveyed were Cotati Rohnert Park School District, Santa Rosa City Schools, Windsor Unified School District, Novato Unified School District and Sonoma Valley Unified School District. Although comparative information is useful, it is not the only measure of appropriate staffing levels. California school districts are complex and vary widely in demographics and resources. Careful evaluation is needed because generalizations can be misleading if significant circum- stances are not taken into account. The following table lists enrollment and staffing information for the comparison districts based on 2008-09 California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) information as well as data from the comparison districts. PetaluMa city schools 44 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM stcirtsid loohcs ainrofilaC detceles ,nosirapmoc gnfifats ygolonhceT yellaV amonoS defiinU otavoN DSU rosdniW ytiC asoR atnaS trenhoR itatoC tcirtsiD DSU sloohcS kraP 247,4 159,7 515,5 057,61 004,6 tnemllornE 935 077 725 854,1 476 seeyolpmE latoT noitamrofnI daeL smetsyS ygolonhceT noitamrofnI ygolonhceT noitamrofnI fo rotceriD ygolonhceT recfifO ygolonhceT feihC ygolonhceT ygolonhceT dna ygolonhceT rosivrepuS tsilaicepS smetsyS rotanidrooC rotceriD tsilaicepS krowteN II troppuS krowteN tsilaicepS krowteN dna ygolonhceT noitamrofnI ygolonhceT troppuS metsyS smetsyS noitamrofnI ygolonhceT tsilaicepS gnidulcni skrowten lanoitcurtsni dna evitartsinimda fo troppus dna noitartsinimda( I tsilaicepS smetsyS tsilaicepS reenignE ffatS tnemtrapeD -elpmi dna gninnalp( )noitallatsni erawtfos dna erawdrah ,sniatniam ,sllatsni( )ksed pleh dna erawtfos( dna ngised krowteN( -sys lla fo noitatnem ,erawdrah secnahne 8( tnatsissA ygolonhceT metsys ,tnemeganam -etniam ytiruces ,smet rosivrepuS krowteN atad dna erawtfos )ETF -sinimda dna noitargetni -artsinimda dna ecnan -nam lanoitarepo ;gninnalp cigetarts ygolonhcet noitamrofnI( )smetsys )troppus erawtfos erawdrah( ),noitart )smetsys esoht fo noit revres ;troppus NAW & NAL ;tnemeganam tcejorp ;tnemega naicinhceT ecnanetniaM )noisivrepus puorg troppus ;troppus puorg )noitallatsni erawdrah( smetsyS noitamrofnI III naicinhceT III naicinhceT troppuS ygolonhceT rotanidrooC snoitarepO dliub naicinhcet roineS( -ni retnirp & ,hsotnicaM ,CP rof elbisnopser naicinhcet roineS( II erawtfos yolped dna dna krowten ;ecnanetniam dna riaper ,noitarugfinoc ,noitallats retupmoc ,troppus atad( -rep tcudnoc ,segakcap -latsni erawtfos krowten rof elbisnopseR .noitartsinimda revres )sretnec gnirotinom ecnamrof )snoital retupmoc fo sisylana dna TSIM yraterceS roineS dna ,slarehpirep ,smetsys II naicinhceT troppuS ygolonhceT ETF 2 )srevres -vres dna spotksed rof smelborp retupmoc etis tcirtsid sevloseR yraterceS roineS noitargetni caM elppA seganaM .smroftalp caM dna CP no sre ygolonhceT smetsyS noitamrofnI loohcS TI eht seesrevO .s’potksed dna srevres rof gnigami dna II naicinhceT )eduD revreS )ETF 2( rotartsinimdA no troppus tcerid sedivorp( II &I troppuS lacinhceT/rotarepO retupmoC )sedargpu erawtfos erawdrah ,seussi resu cisab rotartsinimdA esabataD metsyS noitamrofnI tnedutS seganaM( naicinhceT metsyS tnedutS rotartsinimdA krowteN ;stroper dna seireuq etaerc ot sresu stsissa ,sDISS sniatbo )sDAPLAC /remmargorP )ETF 2( tsylanA -erc ot sresu stsissa ;SIS eht seganaM( naicinhceT metsyS tnedutS ,seludehcs lleb ,sradnelac sniatniaM ;stroper dna seireuq eta resu seesrevo ;sdaolpu otohp tneduts dna IBA ,stnuocca tneduts )retneC .veD .forP tcirtsiD eht seludehcs ;stnemeerga -isub dna laicnanfi troppus dna sniatniaM( rotanidrooC secivreS noitamrofnI )sresu metsys ssen 45 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS PetaluMa city schools yellaV amonoS defiinU otavoN DSU rosdniW ytiC asoR atnaS trenhoR itatoC tcirtsiD DSU sloohcS kraP mulucirruC rotceriD – ASOT smargorP dezilaicepS & ytilibatnuoccA tnemssessA fo rotceriD gnitseT tcirtsiD & tnemssessA dna tnemssessA noitcurtsnI & tnemssessA & mulucirruC tnempoleveD lanoisseforP rotanidrooC tsylanA noitaulavE ytilibatnuoccA -dradnats /tnemssessa( ffatS ataD tnemssessA tcirtsiD atad dna gnitset dezi tsilaicepS )sisylana retirW tropeR naicinhceT krowteN etiS/baL retupmoC mulucirruC hceT ecruoseR mulucirruC tnatsissA lanoitacudE )seussi resu ronim etis htiw tsissa bal retupmoc etarepo( tsilaicepS tnatsissA fo tnednetnirepuS ffatS ygolonhceT -ed – ASOT dnepits( secivreS lanoitcurtsnI rotneM ygolonhceT lanoitcurtsnI -curtsni rof DP polev )ygolonhceT lanoit secivreS lanoitcurtsnI naicinhceT lanoitcurtsnI – lanoisseforP-araP retupmoC )ETF 2( sretupmoC naicinhceT baL )edia bal retupmoc( stcirtsid htiw sweivretni dna ,)tseuQataD EDC( SDEBC 90-8002 :ecruoS .troppus resu cisab mrofrep ton seod hcihw noitisop bal retupmoc a sah osla tcirtsiD loohcS defiinU otavoN 46 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Although each school district surveyed organizes its technology department differently, all technology departments report to the assistant superintendent of business services or the chief business official. In the districts surveyed, each technology department has a senior position that supervises department staff and requires at least a bachelors degree or higher in computer science or similar field. The comparison districts divide technology support differently from Petaluma City Schools. The three areas of technology support in comparison districts are administrative or business systems; instructional and classroom technology; and data management or assessment and accountability. Included within the administrative and business systems support are the network and infrastruc- ture, servers, hardware and system software needed to maintain functional administrative, finan- cial and student information systems. Support for these systems is divided between hardware and systems software. Technicians usually specialize in a specific system and hardware. In addition, equipment or user support is managed and prioritized using a work order system, with lower level support directed to technician I level staff and more complex issues directed to more senior staff. Each comparison district has one systems and network engineer; at least one staff member responsible for installation of hardware, servers and peripherals; and at least one staff member responsible for supporting data base systems such as the student information system, financial and assessment and accountability systems. Most districts surveyed include some support for student and staff workstations at each school site, either through a part-time technician, a stipend position, or a teacher on special assignment (TOSA). In some districts the computer lab technician also resolves low level user support issues and supports users with educational software. Most of the comparison districts also maintain a help desk management system to track and manage all support. Most of the districts monitor and provide support remotely. Each district organizes data management and assessment and accountability differently. In some districts all staff report to the director of information technology (Novato) and in some the assessment and accountability department coordinates with the technology department (Santa Rosa). In both cases, the accountability and assessment department manages state testing, develops reports and queries for administrative staff to assess student progress, provides adminis- trative support, and maintains the student assessment data system. Each district manages professional development differently, though in most cases technology department staff provide professional development for e-mail login, provide basic functions to support infrastructure and educational services, and coordinate professional development for new educational software. Usually, the more workstations a district acquires, the more technology department staff are needed to support those systems. The following table shows the number of students per computer at each of the selected comparison schools. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 47 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Number of students per computer in selected comparison school districts Sonoma Students per Petaluma Cotati Santa Rosa Windsor Novato Valley computer City Schools Rohnert Park City Schools USD Unified Unified Elementary 4.8 5.6 5.9 6.4 4.6 5.8 Middle 6.8 6.5 4.5 5.2 3.6 4.5 High 5.7 3.6 4.8 3.5 6.9 2.1 Continuation 2.5 4.5 2.4 2.1 3.6 4.7 Community Day 4.2 2.5 N/A N/A N/A 1.3 Support Staff In Petaluma City Schools, Some support staff are assigned to locations geographically (west and east of the river) rather than according to the needs of each school site. Currently, 5.3 full time equivalent (FTE) technology department staff positions are assigned to support technology at school sites; however, most of the support is focused on administrative needs. School sites use teachers, outside contractors and parents to support technology in classrooms. This exceeds similarly sized Cotati-Rohnert Park School District’s staffing level of 3.0 FTE, including the technology coordinator, and similarly sized Windsor Unified School District’s staffing level of 2.0 FTE In the elementary district, a 0.5 FTE PC support technician is assigned to schools, and there is a 0.5 FTE Aeries-only technician for all schools. In the secondary schools, two full time techni- cians provide instructional technology support to secondary schools east and west of the river, respectively. Each school receives funding from Measure C to support technology. As discussed in the fiscal section of this report, the district should consider centralizing this funding and redirecting it to support district-level staff. Technology department job descriptions need to be reviewed and revised, and individual areas of specialization for systems and equipment or network support determined. Low level requests for assistance need to be managed remotely using a help desk system and imaging software. This will reduce the need for on-site assistance from teachers on special assign- ment and computer lab technicians. Recommendations: The district should: 1. Consider reassigning technology staff to more effectively support all schools based on needs and the district’s priority of supporting educational technology. 2. Consider developing system specialty areas for support staff, and provide training as needed. PetaluMa city schools 48 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Organizational and Reporting Structure The technology department’s organizational and reporting structure prevents it from supporting educational technology. The technology director’s job title is “Director, Business Technology,” and the job description does not include support of teaching and learning through technology. Similarly the organization of the technology staff has resulted in ineffective support of educa- tional technology as documented by school site administrators and teaching staff. An effort to end isolation and improve communication between the business department and the curriculum and instruction department by splitting staff between the two departments has not The organization resolved the problem; these staff members indicated that they simply move from one desk to another and continue the same work. of the technology In addition, there is no organizational structure for implementing and providing staff has resulted in professional development or ongoing support for educational technology in the ineffective support district. of educational Following are three organizational charts: the district’s current organizational chart technology. followed by two organizational charts that present two options for reorganization focused on changing the culture to support both educational and business tech- nology. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 49 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Current District Organizational Structure Board of Education Board of Education Board of Education Board of Education Board of Education Member Member - Clerk President Member Member Superintendent Deputy Superintendent Director Director Director Business Administration and Human Resources Special Services Educational Services, Educational Services, Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, Professional Accountability Development, Supplemental Director Coordinator Programs Human and Resources Student Services Principals Director Elementary Crossroads Substance Abuse Budgeting and Principals Petaluma Adult School Prevention Accounting Grant Specialist McDowell Director MccKinley Community McNear Entrepreneurs Transportation Penngrove Valley Vista Director Supervisor Maintenance and Secondary Operations Administrative Principals Network Kenilworth Jr. High Assistant Director Petaluma Jr. High Principals Business Technology Casa Grande High Petaluma High Facility Managers Alternative School Supervisor Principals Food Services San Antonio Valley Oaks (independent study) Sonoma Mountain Carpe Diem Principal Mary Collins Charter School PetaluMa city schools 50 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Revised Organizational Structure, Option One School Board Superintendent Deputy Director Director Director Director Superintendent Technology Services Educational Services, Student Services, Special Services Business and Instruction, Assessment, Administration Professional Accountability Development, Curriculum, Director Supplemental Programs Supervisor Human Resources Administrative Network Director Budget and Accounting Technology Staff With newly defined job responsibilities Director Maintenance and Operations Facilities Managers Supervisor Food Services Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 51 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Revised Organizational Structure, Option Two School Board Superintendent Deputy Director Director Director Superintendent Educational Services, Student Services, Special Services Business Instruction, Assessment, Professional Accountability Development, Curriculum, Director Supplemental Programs Human Resources Director Director Technology Services Budget and Accounting Supervisor Director Administrative Network Maintenance and Operations Technology Staff Facilities Managers With newly defined job responsibilities Supervisor Food Services Recommendations The district should: 1. Consider replacing the position of director, business technology with a director of technology services position. This position should incorporate the support of both business and educational technology responsibilities. 2. Reorganize the district’s organizational structure so that a single administrator oversees technology services staff and educational services staff so that they work collaboratively to meet the training and technical support needs of both the busi- ness and classroom technology users. PetaluMa city schools 52 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Job Descriptions Technology department job descriptions are not consistent with an organization that is posi- tioned to support both business and educational technology. None of the job descriptions provided to FCMAT include duties such as training or supporting teachers to implement educational software. Evidence suggests that the job descriptions have not been updated and do not reflect current needs. One job description listed as a requirement famil- iarity with the Windows 95 operating system. The job descriptions provide general information about required skills, but interviews with every member of the technology staff indicate that the job descriptions do not define current duties. Recommendations The district should: 1. Revise job descriptions to include educational technology support. 2. Develop job responsibilities for the technology support staff based on needs. Responsibilities for applications such as Aeries, Edusoft and Read 180 should be clearly defined and should not be divided among employees because this creates a lack of ownership and responsibility. 3. Implement an organizational structure that provides for feedback from teachers when new technology is implemented. The success of system implementation can be measured by tracking help desk tickets and attendance at staff develop- ment, as well as through classroom observations. Below is one option for a functional organizational structure to achieve these results. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 53 STAFFING, ORGANIZATION AND JOB DESCRIPTIONS Recommended Functional Organizational Chart, Technology Department Director Technology Services Supervisor School Site Database Manager Educational Computer Support Technology Administrative Network Aeries, Edusoft and (Manges all network Technician other responsibilities Professional issues) (Hardware and for district database Development Trainer software support) management (Also serves as liaison with or is shared with director of curriculum, instruction School Site EdTech Database and professional Computer Support Support Staff development) Technician (Provides reporting (Hardware and support for school software support) sites, and district-level reporting) School Site Computer Support Technician (Hardware and software support) School Site Computer Support Technician (Hardware and software support) Consultant Support Volunteers (Direction from district) PetaluMa city schools 54 DRAFT Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 55 BOARD POLICIES FOR INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY Board Policies for Instructional Technology The district has board policies regarding the use of technology; however, no evidence was provided to indicate that the polices have been updated in the past five years. The technology staff provided FCMAT with acceptable use policies dated February 2002 and forms for parents and guardians of students. Many districts include specific references to technology resources in their board policies regarding instruction, but this is not the case in the Petaluma City Schools. The California School Boards Association (CSBA) provides sample policies to help school districts manage emerging technology and acceptable use issues. The district needs to review and revise its policies because of the potential liability in this area. Schools are working to meet the board-approved educational services smart goals, but technical support and professional development issues are significant obstacles Many districts include to successfully meeting those goals. specific references to The lack of up-to-date policies regarding the decentralized management and use of technology resources Web pages, teacher blogs and other technology-based communication is particu- in their board policies larly problematic and will create significant challenges as the district increases the regarding instruction, use of technology to support instruction. Updated policies will be needed to clearly define acceptable use and reduce district liability as teaching staff use these online but this is not the tools. In addition, plans to provide Aeries access to staff and parents will require case in the Petaluma updated privacy policies. City Schools. The technology department’s priorities are not aligned with board policies regarding instruction, and there is no evidence that the department consistently supports these policies. FCMAT found consistent examples of how the technology department is either not supporting instructional goals or inadvertently hindering progress toward achieving those goals. The current technology plan aligns technology goals with instructional goals, but there is no connection to the technology department’s functional goals to drive staff members’ daily activi- ties. Linking technology department functional goals with board policies and board-approved educational services smart goals could help create such a connection. Recommendations The district should: 1. Review and revise all board policies related to technology, including privacy policies. Policy templates are available from the California School Boards Association’s (CSBA’s) GAMUT online services at http://www.csba.org/Services/ Services/GovernanceTechnology/GAMUTOnline.aspx. 2. Provide staff with training regarding updated board policies once those policies are in place. Review key changes in policy at cabinet meetings, principal meet- ings and faculty meetings. 3. Update board policies related to instruction (6100s) to include references to the alignment of technology to support core instructional goals. Consider linking the adoption of instructional technology resources to board policies regarding the adoption of other instructional materials. PetaluMa city schools 56 BOARD POLICIES FOR INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY 4. Align the technology department’s goals with the board-approved instructional goals for the district. 5. Develop board policies regarding the type of report cards to be issued, and administrative regulations regarding the standards-based report card. Assign a districtwide committee to develop a standards-based report card template. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 5577 APPENDDRICAEFST Appendices PetaluMa city schools 58 DARPPAEFNTDICES Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 59 APPENDDRICAEFST Appendix A Recommendation Matrix Section and Recommendation Priority Technology Plan Develop a new technology master plan. Require that each school site update its site technology plan to align with the district’s technol- ogy master plan. Ensure that the technology plan includes standard educational hardware and software that can be provided to every school and classroom districtwide. Stakeholder Involvement Create a technology implementation committee. Develop a communication plan to engage all affected parties. Technology in the Curriculum Create an organizational structure that allows the curriculum and instruction department and educational technology department to work collaboratively on all educational technology ini- tiatives. Develop a process to vet and approve technology. Create a process and organizational structure that links educational technology and curriculum adoptions. Monitoring and Evaluation Develop a clear plan and structure for monitoring and evaluation that is closely tied to project planning, and report on progress toward goals annually. Identify specific staff responsible for monitoring and evaluation. Technology in the Classroom Develop technology standards for all classrooms, with a focus on equity for all students and teachers. Ensure that technology staff implement procedures for improving communication with schools regarding installing and supporting technology in the classroom. Consider developing and implementing districtwide software standards. Develop an infrastructure, hardware and software plan that begins with the teacher and stu- dent experience in the classroom. Ensure that the district technology team always provides support to district and school site staff, including expertise and research, to analyze and select the appropriate software. System and User Support Ensure that the technology department develops clear and sustainable communication with departments. PetaluMa city schools 60 DARPPAEFNTDICES Section and Recommendation Priority Reorganize and retrain the technology department to provide comprehensive support at school sites that focuses on teachers’ and students’ needs rather than on hardware and net- work support alone. Review and update procedures for trouble calls to the help desk for both school site and dis- trict office personnel. Assess customer satisfaction regularly to identify successes and areas that need additional at- tention. Improve communications with the human resources department and establish procedures to provide new employees and employees whose status has changed with access to the network and technology resources. Research, acquire and implement a help desk system. Establish a structured way to obtain feedback from users regarding technology department staff and services. Consider reallocating technology resources from labs to classrooms to provide stu- dents with more frequent access. Technology Acquisition; Installation and Implementation; Inventory; and Replacement Acquisition Establish a districtwide technology purchasing policy and process that includes technology de- partment review and approval for all purchases. Use districtwide technology standards to identify priority technology needs. Develop districtwide technology standards for student computers, teacher computers, educa- tional software and equipment, and data systems. Ensure that the donation form is used when accepting technology donations, and revise the form to include a location for the director of technology’s signature. Ensure that the technology department assesses every proposed donation of technology equip- ment and software to ensure that it meets or exceed the district’s standards, and that it can be sustained and supported even when the donated funds or equipment have been exhausted. Provide ongoing training and support for new hardware and software to ensure effective imple- mentation. Installation and Implementation Establish and use standard images for all computers. Develop a long-term technology plan that includes hardware and software standards for schools, classrooms, labs, and libraries to ensure equity and supportability. Ensure that prior to installing equipment the technology department clearly communicates expectations to those who are receiving the equipment. Ensure that whenever a major technology project is implemented the technology department develops a project management plan that includes processes and standards. Ensure that the technology department, in cooperation with the superintendent and other senior district administrators, creates a process to identify software deployment priorities for the upcoming year. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 61 APPENDDRICAEFST Section and Recommendation Priority Include technology managers in interdepartmental meetings and communications to ensure coordination of services, adequate needs assessment and evaluation of services against identi- fied needs. Inventory Perform a physical inventory of all technology equipment at schools and district offices. Replacement Create a districtwide replacement plan for hardware and software that identifies the budgets for both business services and educational technology. Ensure that the technology plan includes minimum standards for all hardware, software and peripheral technology equipment for classrooms. Consider hiring a qualified network contractor to analyze and document the network infra- structure to identify equipment, software, and new standards that should be included in a re- vised technology replacement plan. Professional Development Make professional development in the area of technology a high priority. Survey staff regarding professional development needs. Assess staff training needs for Edusoft, CALPADS and other applications. Ensure that regular and focused training is provided for technology department staff. Develop districtwide professional development opportunities based on survey results and in collaboration with the curriculum and instruction department. Explore and adopt online training opportunities so that teachers and staff can access training from any location with an internet connection. Provide an Intranet site on the Web for teachers to collaborate and post best practices in technology integration. Fiscal Issues Develop a new funding plan and allocation strategy for hardware and software. Develop a comprehensive plan to fund technology staffing to support essential systems and district goals. Seek funding from alternative sources such as grants and community fundraising. Network Administration Inventory aging technology by developing criteria for collecting information on desktop com- puters that are more than four years old. Ensure that the technology department provides all district and school site staff with a list of support staff, contact information and responsibilities. Ensure that the technology department researches standardizing wireless network access for schools with wireless contractors to determine costs and methods for implementation. PetaluMa city schools 62 DARPPAEFNTDICES Section and Recommendation Priority Develop a network infrastructure that focuses on delivery of educational content to class- rooms. Consider using a qualified network contractor to analyze, document and propose solutions to improve network performance and security. Network and Data Security Review and revise the disaster recovery plan to ensure that procedures in the plan are being followed and that the plan includes new requirements, including school technology functions such as server backup. Maintain spare equipment for mission-critical systems, redundant routers, servers and other equipment to enable immediate replacement of failed network equipment. Systems Student Attendance System Adopt a single standard for grade book software to minimize training and ongoing support needs. Develop an Aeries project management plan that addresses the implementation of these new components. Re-evaluate Aeries training and determine which position should provide training for basic Aeries functions and Aeries browser interface (ABI) attendance. Develop data entry standards for the Aeries software system. Evaluate all staff resources at schools and district offices and determine how they might be used to ensure ongoing support of Aeries. Financial Reporting System Review training documentation and revise it as needed. Evaluate and assess staff members training needs and gaps in knowledge, and develop a basic and ongoing training plan. Ensure that the business department reviews all MUNIS documentation, and provide all eligible users at both the district and school sites with a list of support staff contact information and responsibilities. Website Development Develop and use standard website templates for elementary, middle, high school and district department sites. Consider forming a team of principals, teachers, and administrators to develop requirements for a web-based communication and an Intranet for staff. Evaluate each school and department’s website development training and development support needs. Purchase and implement a comprehensive web management tool that replaces the various tools currently in use. E-mail Review the e-mail access policy and change it if necessary to include all staff. Consider migrating the current Novell Groupwise e-mail system to a Microsoft Exchange e- mail environment for improved management, support and user experience. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 63 APPENDDRICAEFST Section and Recommendation Priority Staffing, Organization and Job Descriptions Staffing Consider reassigning technology staff to more effectively support all schools based on needs and the district’s priority of supporting educational technology. Consider developing system specialty areas for support staff, and provide training as needed. Organizational and Reporting Structure Consider replacing the position of director business technology position with a director of technology services position. Reorganize the district’s organizational structure so that a single administrator oversees tech- nology services staff and educational services staff. Job Descriptions Revise job descriptions to include educational technology support. Develop job responsibilities for the technology support staff based on needs. Implement an organizational structure that provides for feedback from teachers when new technology is implemented. Board Policies for Instructional Technology Review and revise all board policies related to technology, including privacy policies. Provide staff with training regarding updated board policies once those policies are in place. Update board policies related to instruction (6100s) to include references to the alignment of technology to support core instructional goals. Align the technology department’s goals with the board-approved instructional goals for the district. Develop board policies regarding the type of report cards to be issued, and administrative regulations regarding the standards-based report card. Priority Key Priority 1: Priority 2: Priority 3: PetaluMa city schools 64 DARPPAEFNTDICES Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 65 APPENDDRICAEFST Appendix B Project Implementation Example Monitoring Example PetaluMa city schools 66 DARPPAEFNTDICES Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 67 APPENDDRICAEFST Project Implementation Example The following chart was created by SmartDraw. Preparing a project management chart similar to the one below can help document the recommendations in this report and assist in managing the various projects. It’s also a good way to communicate with all project participants and stake- holders. PetaluMa city schools 68 DARPPAEFNTDICES Monitoring Example. Person(s) Monitoring & Activities Timeline 1 Responsible Evaluation Complete the implementation plans for the Technology Bond Funded Projects Completed JE Plans published Establish and maintain a status report on the Technology Bond Completed Funded Projects and implementation of recommendations from the Review bian- Reports prepared for 2006 Assessment Report/ nually JE Superintendent Deploy the SAN – Wide Area network storage solutions (including Migration to new systems VM Ware, SharePoint) June 2010 JE complete Deploy the SAN – Wide Area network storage solutions (including Equipment deployed SASI hardware and backup equipment upgrade) Completed JE (Work orders) Deploy Subfinder, the District online application for substitute System activated teachers June 2010 JE System reports Migrate to Microsoft 2003 to replace GroupWise June 2009 JE System activated Servers deployed (work Deploy the VOIP servers to support the new phone system June 2011 JE orders) Complete the BiTech upgrade of the financial, HR and payroll ap- plications June 2009 JE and SG Systems activated Implement the remaining recommendations from the 2006 Assessment Report Implement and evaluate the data entry and manage- ment processes and calendar recommended by the 2006 June 2009 Reports to the Assessment Report Annually JE and SG Superintendent Automate Time and Attendance system June 2009 JE System activated Develop POS for Food Services June 2009 JE System activated Review Federal Reporting requirements compliance for EL and Special Ed June 2009 JE and KB Report to Superintendent Address environmental issues for the Main Computing Center June 2010 JE Report to Superintendent 1 Because the technology bond funded projects are inter-related, the implementation plan includes some components that have already been completed. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 69 appenddricaefsT Appendix C Survey Results PetaluMa city schools 70 darppaefnTdices Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM Technology Organization and Support – 5 Questions Professional Development Support – 5 questions Funding Support – 2 questions Hardware and Software Support – 4 questions Network Speed and Security – 4 questions Communications Tools – 5 questions Technology for Instruction – 5 questions General Comments – 2 questions The survey included two questions where survey takers could add comments for the following two questions about technology strengths and weaknesses at PCS. The comments are excerpts from the survey and are unedited. 31. Please describe what you feel to be 32. Please describe what you feel the technology strengths of PCS. to be areas of concern with PCS technology. The support for use of technolgy in the daily The support for use of technology in the operations of the school and site management is classroom, that is to say , for instructional effective. activities is less effective. This is a site and district based problem. The administrative systems are good. Edusoft, Systematic training of teachers regarding email, AERIES are all used easily by technology components of instructional administrators and teachers. Most administrators materials and other support curriculum. still require more training on Munis and some Coordinated planning regarding purchases training on AERIES. and best practices for computers, printers, etc. Support for teachers and administrators regarding purchasing new equipment, vendors, etc. The systems generally work well and I believe Often times there are slow, or no that is due to the efforts of the department. responses, to needs that are not deems important or interesting to the department. I think that we are missing out on a great resource by not utilizing Aeries 's capability to supply an online grading program. Many districts have programs in which parents can check their student's grades, attendance, and even what they bought for lunch in real time. Teachers should be trained and required to use online grading and teacher websites. This could greatly improve our home-school communication. Thanks! Support and assistance from Technology Training on available software for Department classroom instruction. Lots of people work on problem solving. Not enough direction from the top down regarding standarization of approaches to software programs. The classified employees who are required to make the new software work are frequently unable to move forward because management is slowwww to make decisions about the nuts-and-bolts questions (things as simple as standardizing a letter format in Aeries). Why should it take well over a year to agree to a standarized letter? I don't know if it's been done yet... As we learn more about technology and its use Lack of knowledge and funding to create a for instruction, assessment and monitoring of sustainable infrastructure. Lack of skills and achievement, there is a greater interest to funding to support network development integrate it into our work--production and and management. Lack of skills and instruction. funding to support instructional technology. Lack of standards for administration, staff and students. Lack of vision, plan and funding to support professional development for staff. Every teacher has a computer. I feel that the email system is terrible. I don't have computers, computer tables and only 2 outlets for internet connection for my students. In this day I feel that we are extremely behind the times. Tech support is inadequate at best. Training and upgrading coomputer skills are not easily available. Our site support personnel are awesome. Krista The district office is difficult to reach out to O'Connor and Kerstin Stauffer are easy to reach for support. I have had them freak out and get back to me in a timely manner. before when I tried to ask them a question. (Don't contact us directly! Have you gone through proper channels? What are you doing in my office?) Communications could definitely be better. Quit making us feel like we are imposing on them. Don't they exist for the purpose of supporting us and our technology needs? Our equipment is also a problem. The computers are slow and could be updated. Aeries seems to be operating effectively. I do not have access to up-to-date technology in my classroom. I do not have money to update my software or hardware. They have support available if we need it. I don't think we have the best student data program available. Response time Directing questions to person of Understaffing most expertise no comment behind the times in hardware, software, wireless Other than the speed and relative robustness of See above. There is an absolute dearth of the network and the dedicated (but over-utilized) quality, updated technology in most the technology of our schools is for the most part classrooms nor teachers truly qualified to EMBARRASSING in our classrooms! use them. Advanced technologies are truly lacking unless the teacher applies for a grant our purchases it himself with his own money. Seriously? Technology is a joke--I am truly embarrassed to describe to other teachers how bad the technology is in my classroom. Pentium III's! Really... Also, I find the lack of clearheaded thinking by some of our district level tech people and their dislike/distrust/abolishment of Macs particularly appalling. Wake up. Joe Manella We should have access to more on-site assistance The response time for Tech. Suport to come to a site and work on things they are great. The strengths include the willingness to embrace I am concerned about the following: 1- technology. technology is decided "top down" and often is based on administration's own sense of what he/she is comfortable with or knows. 2- I use the email system for all business but it is NOT effective,nor efficient. 3- hardware 'lust' is stronger than educational goals [that is, we tend to buy first and think of things to do with them later. Much of our hardware is under utilized and not directed towards student learning. 4- we have lots of teachers who know and use technology but are not looked to for assistance or to provide leadership. 5- Not enough teacher buy-in provided in terms of technology. 6- the administration seems to think that technology will save us. [that is, they'll try to use technology as a way to not use a person for something only to discover that one really needs the person there]. Providing support for hardware issues. No shared decision-making and communicating with other departments before decisions are made. Knowledgeable tech staff. Funding from measure Focus on keeping data safe rather than C that gives sites funds and technical support. supporting instructional staff. Quick answers to questions via email. Great support of secondary library program since database staff added. All questions and problems are dealt with in a I do not feel I have a concern right now. timely fashion, staff very informed and helpful. PCS has a decent amount of technology. Funding does not always allow for most efficient use of technological resources since it does not allow for complete teacher training on resources.I would like to project power point presentations in my room, but do not have the ability to do so with my desktop. Admin cell phones are antiquated and don't work well. Smart phone technology would greatly improve productivity and communication. At a minimum, texting should be available on current district cell phones. Always ready to help. Need more staff to address tech needs. The greatest strength we have is our district Lack of a clear plan for the use and technology staff. While they are limited in purchase of technology to support number, they are knowledgable, efficient, and classroom instruction. Lack of training for helpful and provide as much support as is the use of technology both at the possible given their numbers and hours. administrative and instructional level. Lack of funding to implement a plan if we had one. Trying to please everyone at all times. Repair of equipment is slow. Can use more support in the schools. District email is less fluid than at large sites like gmail and hotmail. Responsive to administration. Responsive when No overall set of skills required by teachers you understand that their support ends at the to support and deliver curriculum for 21st wall network plug and no further into the room. century learners. No consistent and supportable view of hardware/software and training for such across the district. No consistent set of skills from school to school, grade to grade for students. District is not up-to-date on tools and methods for both supporting hardware and software for today's learners, nor are they proactive on getting all sites on consistent skills requirements for all users (students, teachers, administrators, classified staff, etc.) The email system works well. Overall, we are behind in all aspects of technology...from using it to assess students to creating accessible transparency within our district on important district issues. More access to technology, more training on using it 71 appenddricaefsT Appendix D Sample Job Descriptions PetaluMa city schools 72 darppaefnTdices Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM tap 2132.5 (a) ADMINISTRATION INFORMATIONSYSTEMSENGINEER BRIEFDESCRIPTIONOFTHEPOSITION InformationSystemsEngineers(ISEs)provideteclmicalleadership inallareasOf rmatiOn Technology. ISEsassumeleadrolesinmajorinformationprojects,analyzedata data systems,performsystemsintegration,performsystemmonitoringandperformance alysis,and ~~ provideguidancefornew systemdevelopmentandacquisitionandenhancement0 xisting systems. MAJORDUTIESANDRESPONSIBILITIES ISEsworkwithinone,ormore,ofthe followingmajorresponsibilityareas: Data · Conductdatastructureanalysis ·· Developdatastructuresandrelationships Implementdatabasestructures · Documentexistingdatastructuresanddatarelationships · AdministerMS SQLservers Web Designand Programming ·· Develop,design,andmaintainstaticanddynamicweb content Analyze,develop,andwrite softwareapplicationsusinginternetanddatabas~technologies Sys·tems Integration and Administration · Integrateexistingsystemswithnewtechnologies. Analyzesystemrequirementsandinput/outputschemas. · Developsystemintegrationstrategies. · Developsystemadministrativeutilities Network Designand Management · DesignLocal,Metropolitan,andWideAreaNetworks · DevelopadvancedconfigurationsforroutersandLayer-3switches ·· Conductadvancednetworktrafficanalysis Reviewnetworksecuritypostureandconductsecurityreviews. Docwnent diJstrepancies andweaknesses . - - - - - -- -- --- --- -- . ... ..---.---- aP 2132.5(b) ADMINISTRATION INFORMATIONSYSTEMSENGINEER Ge·neral duties: Serveasteam leaderforoneormoreinformationsystemsprojects. ·· Respondtoproblemsona24hourbasis. Conferwithrepresentativesofadministrativeorinstructionaldepartmentsto Jt~therdata, facts,Orinformation. ·.. DevelopappropriateEnd UserInstructions. · Providevariousreports andrecommendationsasrequired. Provideorassistinthepreparationofvariousreports,includingdistrict,coun1)t,state,and · federalandmakeappropriaterecommendations Assistinthecoordinationofvariousdistrict-wideadministrativefunctionssu~l as · documentingprocedures. Developnew computerprogramsandproceduresasrequired. · Performotherdutiesandfunctionsasassigned. QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge of: · Datastructures,relationshipsandanalysis · BusinessProcessEngineering .. WebProgrammingandDesign · Softwareincludingbutnotlimitedto .NETFramework2.0,Visual Studio20~~,Visual BasicandVisualC# · ASP.NETProgramming ·· MicrosoftSQLAdministration · ActiveDirectory DNS · LANIMAN/WANdesignandconfiguration · MicrosoftWindowssecuritymechanisms · MicrosoftGroupPolicyandProfiles Ab·ility to: · DevelopMicrosoftWindowsapplicationsusingVisualStudio,VisualBasicandVisUalC#. · DevelopMicrosoftWebapplicationsusingVisualStudioandASP.NET PerformBusinessProcessEngineering · DesignandDeployDatabases ·· GeneratecomplexSQLqueries AdministerMicro5oftSQLservers - - - -- - - - - - .-. .-.._ __ .u_... -.. - ... ..-.----- iW 2132.5 (c) ADMINISTRATION INFORMAnON SYSTEMSENGINEER · · DesignanddocumentMS SQLSecurityimplementations. Quicklyunderstandnew systemsandschemas · Communicateeffectivelybothorallyandinwriting · Establishandmaintaineffectiveworkingrelationshipswithothers EDUCATION ANDEXPERIENCE i BAorBSwithcoursework in ComputerScienceorManagementInfonnation SY Sandfour (4)yearsofprogressive,directlyrelatedexperienceincomputerhardware,softwar valuation andselection,systemsdesign,programming,implementation;andenduser support d instruction. Experiencebeyondfouryearsmaybe substitutedforeducationonay foryear basis. Mustholdoneormoreofthe followingcertifications: MicrosoftCertifiedSolutionDeveloper(MCSD) MicrosoftCertifiedApplicationDeveloper(MCAD) MicrosoftCertifiedProfessionalDeveloper(MCPD) MicrosoftCertifiedTechnologySpecialist(MCTS) MicrosoftCertifiedITProfessional(MCITP) MicrosoftCertifiedDatabaseAdministrator(MCDBA) MicrosoftCertifiedSystemsAdministrator(MCSA) MicrosoftCertifiedSystemsEngineer(MCSE) DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS Atleasttwoyearsofexperienceasateam leaderonamajorcomputerproject ExperiencewithAERIES,VolP, Telephonesystems,Multimedia,and/orUnifiedMCssagihg SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Essentialdutiesrequire,butarenot limitedto,the followingphysicalabilities(con$lderationwill begiventoreasonableaccommodation,withorwithouttheuseofaids): · PossessavalidCaliforniaDriver'slicense ·· Sufficientvisionto readprintedmaterialsandvideodisplayscreens Sufficientmobilityto stoop,reach.andmoveabout ·· Abilityto liftcomputerandrelatedequipment Capabilityto workwithnmnerousinterruptions · Availabletorespondtoproblemsona24hourbasistoensuresuccessfuloperationof criticalsystems. i---- -------- ----- BIP2132.5 (d) ADMINISTRATION INFORMATIONSYSTEMSENGINEER RESPONSIBLE TO InformationSystemsEngineersaredirectlyresponsibletotheDistrictTechnologyCCbordinator. MEASUREMENT OF EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE Successfulaccomplishmentofmajordutiesandresponsibilitieslistedabove. SALARYANDWORK YEAR InformationSystemsEngineersareplacedonthe appropriatestepoftheClassifiedtNianagement salaryscheduleandassignedaworkyearof260days. PolicyAdopted: September12,2006 COTATI~ROHjrfERTP ARK UNIFIED SCHottL DISTRICT - - - -- - JOB DESCRIPTION - POSITION INFORMATIONSYSTEMSTECHNICIANIII BRIEFDESCRIPTIONOFTHE POSITION I TheInformationSystemsTechnicianill (1ST-IIIi)sthemostseniorofthedistrict Cians. Theyprovidethirdtiertechnicalsupportandperformadvancedtroubleshootingan epaironall infonnationsystems. Additionally,1ST-illsprovidetrainingandguidancetojunior Tsand workcloselywith engineersandotherseniorstaffmembersindetennining future ology designsanddirections. Thisisanadvancedtechnicalpositionrequiringsignificantknowledgeandatleast$!yearosf experience. MAJOR DUTIES ANDRESPONSIBILITIES · BuildandDeploySoftwareImagesandInstallationPackages . · Conductperformancemonitoringandanalysisofcomputersystems,peripherd1~,and servers · Detectandcorrectsystem-wideproblemsandconductfailureanalysis · Installandconfigureprintserversandadvancedprintingaccessories. · Monitorandanalyzeperformanceofprintingsystemsandcomponents · Testandcorrectprintingsystemsandcomponents · Monitornetworktrafficandtrends · Perfonn advancedtroubleshooting,testing,andrepairofLocalandWideAre. !Networks Useatime-domam-reflectometerto detenninethe locationofcablefaults. · ImplementMultimediacontrolsystems · Remotelyassistuserswithmultimediasystemoperationsanduse · ConfigurecomputerbasedHVAC controlsystems · Setupremoteenviromnentalmonitoringsystems. · Perfonn advancedtroubleshootingandrepairofIP-basedelecticalcontrolsyslt~ms · Perfonn QAinspectionsoncommunicationsysteminstallations · Monitorvoiceandtelephonysystemperfonnance · Workwith vendors,asneeded,forsupportandrepairofassignedsystemsandPomponents · Providetechnicalassistancetousers · Maintainrecordsandlogsrelatedtothe installation,configuration,andinventoryof equipmentandsoftware 1.1,. · Participateinthe district'sInformationTechnologyPlanningandDesignProc4&ses · Performotherdutiesandfunctionsasassigned. · Providetraining(bothformalandinformal)to otherdepartmentalstaff. QUALIFICATIONS Overandabovethe knowledgeandabilitiesrequiredofthe1STIand1STII,theIS1',n will additionallypossessthe: Knowledge of: ·· Desktopcomputerimagingtechniques Serveroperatingsystems-Advancedtheoryanduse · WindowsPoliciesandProfiles ·· ActiveDirectory DNS · WideAreaNetwork (WAN)protocolsandrouting Ability to: · Quicklycomprehendnew systemsandschemas ·· Performadvancedconfigurationondesktopsandservers · BuildanddeployMSIpackages Configure,troubleshootandrestoreadvanceddiskarrayswithoutlossofdata · Monitorcomputer,server,printing,network,multimedia,voicecommunicatic!>ain.dIP- basedcontrolsystemsperfonnance I . · Performqualityverificationandacceptancetestingofcomputer,printing,m~4media, voicecommunication,andIP Controlsystems. · Useandunderstandadvancedcablecertificationandinsertionlosstesters. ·· Useandunderstandadvancednetworkandprotocolanalyzers. · Performadvancedcommand-lineconfigurationofRoutersandSwitches Communicateeffectivelybothorallyandinwriting. · Read,interpretandapplytechnicalinformationfrompublications,manuals,aPJ:1other documentation. · .. Establishandmaintaineffectiveworkingrelationshipswithothers · Providetrainingandtechnicalassistancetouserswithwidelyvaryinglevelsd~expertise. - - - --- --- EDUCATIONANDEXPERIENCE Education · AssociatesDegree* ...OrequivalentExperience Experience. Minimumoffive (5)years: · SupportingDesktop Systemsincludingperipherals · SupportingLAN/WANNetworks · Usersupportexperience LICENSE or CERTIFICATE AppropriatevalidCaliforniadriver'slicense. · MustholdTWOormoreofthefollowingcertifications: · A+ Network+ CCNA · CCNP ·· CCNE* ·· MicrosoftCertifiedSolutionDeveloper(MCSD) · MicrosoftCertifiedApplicationDeveloper(MCAD) MicrosoftCertifiedProfessionalDeveloper(MCPD)'" · MicrosoftCenified TechnologySpecialist(MCTS) · MicrosoftCertifiedITProfessional(MCITP) · MicrosoftCertifiedDatabaseAdministrator(MCDBA) ·· MicrosoftCertifiedSystemsAdministrator(MCSA) MicrosoftCertifiedSystemsEngineer(MCSE)* *-CountsasTWO SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS · PossessavalidCaliforniaDriver's license ·· Fingerprintclearancepriorto employment Driveavehiclefromlocationtolocation · Availabletorespondtoproblemsona24hourbasistoensuresuccessfulopetcttionof criticalsystems. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS Essentialdutiesrequire,butarenotlimitedto,the followingphysicalabilities(con~~erationwill begivento reasonableaccommodation,withorwithouttheuseofaids): · Sufficientvisiontoreadprintedmaterialsandvideodisplayscreens · Abilitytobend,crouch~crawlorkneelinconfinedspaceswhileinstallingco~puter . - - - --- · equipment,pushing/pullingequipmentandcables,reachinginalldirections. Abilityto liftcomputersandrelatedequipmentweighing60Ibsorless. RESPONsmLE TO InformationSystemsTechniciansaredirectlyresponsibleto theDistrictTechnology~oordinator. MEASUREMENT OF EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE Successfulaccomplislunentofmajordutiesandresponsibilitieslistedabove. SALARYANDWORK YEAR InfonnationSystemsTechniciansareplacedontheappropriatestepofthe CJassifi~ Salary scheduleandassignedaworkyearof260 days. i. - - --- ---------- 2132.4(a) ADMINISTRATION TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR BRIEFDESCRIPTIONOFTHEPOSITION Toberesponsibleforimplementationofadistrict-wideadministrativeandedUCati[O technologymasterplan; toserveassystemsmanager;toprovidestaffdevelopment administrativeandeducationaltechnology,andtoprovidetechnicalassistanceinth useof technologydistrict-wide. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Implementationofthe district-wideadministrativeandeducationaltechnolomvmaster plan. ; 2. Plan, organize, direct, coordinate, and control activities of technology serv. Including theselectionandpurchaseofhardwareandsoftware,developmentandm' nanceofa hardwareandsoftwareinventory,maintenanceofhardwareandsoftware, ntenahceof back-upsystems,andinstallationanduseofteclmology forboth administrai eand educationalapplications. 3. Monitordevelopmentandimplementationofdistrictinformationsystems~ jll areas includingbusiness/financeandstudentinformationsystems. 4. Assign, coordinate, and supervise district/school site technical support for cPInPuter systems and networks. 5. Monitorinstallationofdistrict/schoolsiteLAN/WANadministrativeandin~~ctional deliverysystems. 6. Maintain security for all computer systems. 7. Research system failures, operations, and software problems to determine c~uses and means to correct errors. 8. Maintainsoftwarelicensesandsupervisecompliancewithvariouslicensingfind copyrightrequirements. 9. Evaluateemergingtechnologiesandprovidetimelyrecommendationsforsy~tem improvement. 10. Servesasdistricttechnologyliaisonwiththe SonomaCountyOfficeofEduoation. - --- - - --- 2132.4(b) ADMINISTRATION TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR 11. Providesupportto principalsinassessingneedsanddevelopingaplantoutilize technologyto itsmaximumpotentialintheclassroom/school. 12. Assistthe curriculumandinstructiondepartmentwiththe integrationofinmctional technologyintothe classroom. 13. Provideassistancetothe Districtintheacquisitionoftechnologygrants,andb.dap~tion offacilitiesfortechnology. 14. Develop,submit,andmonitorbudgetsfortheoperationsofassignedprograJjl1s. 15. Maintainnecessaryrecordsrelatedtotechnologyservices. 16. CoordinateandserveasDistrictliaisonforcommunicationsystemsandrelatedE-rate filings. 17. Performsadditionaldutiesandresponsibilitiesasassignedbythe ChiefFinartcialOfficer. QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge of: · Applicationofnetworksystemstodistrictfunctionsandthe instructionalprogt'$Ps · CISCOandrouterconfigurationmanagementknowledgedesirable · ElectronicdeliveryoptionsincludingLANsandWANs · CUlTenitndustryknowledgeofWindowsXP,WindowsServerandWindows2~()3,2002. · KnowledgeofMacintosh,MS-DOS,Windowsplatformsandrelatedhardwarel4Ildsoftware · KnowledgeofWebServerandEmailSystems · Studentinfonnation managementsystems · Cabletopologyincludingtwistedpair,thinandthickEthernet,andsingleandnjl,lti-mpde fiber · Spreadsheet,database,andwordprocessingprograms - - - - --- -- - --- - - 2~B2.4(c) ADMINISTRATION TECHNOLOGYCOORDmATOR EDUCATIONANDEXPERIENCE · BAorBSwith coursework incomputerscienceorInfonnationManagementS'~tems or equivalentrelatedfieldworkdesirable · Fiveyearsofprogressivelyresponsiblecomputeroperationsexperiencewithcourseworkin dataprocessing/personalcomputerandnetworksystems · Experiencepresentingtrainingsessions SPECIALREQUIREMENTS Essentialdutiesrequire,butarenot limitedtothefollowingphysicalabilities(considerationwill be giventoreasonableaccommodation,withorwithoutthe useofaids): · PossessavalidCaliforniaDriver'slicense · Sufficientvisiontoreadprintedmaterialsandvideodisplayscreens · Sufficientmobilityto stoop,reach,andmoveabout · Abilityto liftcomputerandrelatedequipment · Capabilitytoworkwithnumerousinterruptions RESPONSIBLE TOIFOR TheTechnologyCoordinatorisdirectlyresponsibletothe ChiefFinancialOfficer TheTechnologyCoordinatorwillsuperviseanddirect: 1. LANIWAN Technicians 2. TechnologyConsultants MEASUREMENTOFEFFECTIVEPERFORMANCE 1. Successfulaccomplishmentofmajordutiesandresponsibilitieslistedabove 2. Successfulaccomplislunentofthe objectivesagreedtobetweenthe TechnologYr:oordjnator andthe ChiefFinancialOfficer. - - - - - --- _.-------- - . ..---._.--..-. ----- ..- -- --- -- -_. 2J1132d.4)( ADMINISTRATION TECHNOLOGYCOORDmATOR SALARYANDWORKYEAR TheTechnologyCoordinatorwillbeplacedonthe appropriatestepofthe Classifie~ Managementsalaryscheduleandbeassignedaworkyearof260days. PolicyAdopted: 6/28/05 COTATI-ROHNERTPARK UNIFIEDSCHOtiL DISTRICT - ---- - -- --- JOB DESCRIPTION - POSITION INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN II BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION InformationSystemsTechniciansn (1ST-II)providesecondtiertechnicalsupport,~~orming advancedtroubleshootingandrepairondesktopcomputers,printers,andcommunida/tions, infrastructure,multimedia,aDdnetworksystems. Thisisanmid-levelposition requiringsubstantialtechnicalknowledgeandatleasttWoyearsof relevanttechnicalexperience. MAJOR DUTIES ANDRESPONSIBILITIES . Configureandinstallcomputersoftwareanddrivers · Performadvancedtestingandcorrectivemaintenanceofcomputersystemsand peripherals . Useadvancedgraphicalandcommandlinetoolsto configureprintersandbopieis, locallyandremotely. . Alignandaccomplishadvancedpreventativemaintenanceofprintcomp()uents . Performadvancedtroubleshooting,testing,andrepairofprintingcompo1).4nts . Remotelyupgradeandconfigurenetworkswitchesanddevices . Installnetworkcabling . Measurecablecharacteristicsandlossusingadvancedtest equipment. . Installandconfiguremultimediacontrollers,switchesandservers . Performintermediatetroubleshooting,testingandrepairofmultimediasyftems~ . Configureroomcontrollersandmonitoringdevices. . MaintainconfigurationsonVoice-over-IP(YolP)switchesandservers . TestaodperformadvancedtroubleshootingofvoicecommunicationssyStems . Workwithvendors,asneeded,forsupportandrepairofassignedsystemSland components . Providetechnicalassistanceto users . Maintainrecordsandlogsrelatedtothe installation,configuration,andinventoryof equipmentandsoftware . Participateinthe district'sInformationTechnologyPlanningandDesignIFrocesses . Performotherduties andfunctionsasassigned. . Providetraining(bothformalandinfonnal) to otherdeparbnentalstaff. - -- --- -- -- - - --.. QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge of: . Basictheoryanduseofcomputeroperatingsystemsincluding.butnotlinutedto. MicrosoftWindows2000,XPandVistaandAppleOSX. . Advancedtheoryanduse ofcomputeroperatingsystemsincluding,butnebtlimitedto, MicrosoftWindows2000,XPandVistaandAppleOSX. . DHCP . Basictheoryanduseofprintingsystemsincluding,butnotlimitedto, netIWork printers,stand-aloneprinters,copiersandfaxmachines . TCP/IPNetworkingModel - . TCPIIP Advancedtheoryanduse . LocalAreaNetwork(LAN)Protocols . AnalogSignalTheory(Audio,Video.Composite) . PrincipalsofAnalogsignalmixingandswitching . Standardapplicationprogramsincluding,butnotlimitedto, MicrosoftOOOcet,he AdobeCreativeSuite,andAppleiLifeproducts. . Telephonesystemstheoryofoperation . AdvancedTelephonesystemsandswitching . Basicsofnetwork-basedcontrolsystems . Basichandtools . Basicmeasurementandlayouttechniques Ability to: . Analyzeproblemsandformulatelogicalsolutions. . Properlyuse basichandtools including,butnotlimitedto, screwdrivers,~ammers. wrenches,etc. . MeasureandlayoutphysicalmeasurementswithanaccuracyofgreatertlI1~1/3211 . Installandconfigurecomputersystems. . Installandconfigurenetworkandlocalprinters . Troubleshootprinter connectivityandqualityproblems . Installandconfigureprintserversandprinteraccessories . Useandunderstandcableandcontinuitytesters. . TroubleshootLANconnectionsidentifyingopens,shorts,mis-wiringand[faulty equipment .. . Identifycommonanalogsignalconnectorsandtheiruse. . Installandconfigureprojectors,displays.andvariousmultimediasourcelS' . Identifyandcorrectbasictelephoneproblems . Useandunderstandbasictelephonetestequipment . InstallandconfigurebasicanalogandIPbasedphones . IdentifyandcorrectbasicIP-basedcontrolsystemproblems . InstallandconfigureIP-baseddooraccessandalarmsystemsensors . Quicklycomprehendnew systemsandschemas . Communicateeffectivelybothorallyandinwriting. l. ----------------- . Read,interpretandapplytechnicalinformationfrompublications,manuaU,andother documentation. . Establishandmaintaineffectiveworkingrelationshipswith others . Providetrainingandtechnicalassistanceto userswithwidelyvaryinglev~lsof expertise. EDUCATIONANDEXPERIENCE HighSchoolGraduate ASorTechnologyCertificatefromanaccreditedtechnicalschoolorcollage (orequivalentexperience). Minimwnoftwo (2)years: . SupportingDesktopSystemsincludingperipherals . SupportingLANIWANNetworks LICENSEor CERTWICATE Must hold one or more of the following certifications: . . A+ . Network+ · CCNA . CCNP · CCNE . MicrosoftOfficeSpecialist(MOS) . MicrosoftCertifiedDesktopSupportTechnician(MCDST) . MicrosoftCertifiedProfessionalDeveloper(MCPD) . MicrosoftCertifiedTechnologySpecialist(MCTS) · MicrosoftCertifiedITProfessional(MCITP) . MicrosoftCertifiedDatabaseAdministrator(MCDBA) . MicrosoftCertifiedSystemsAdministrator(MCSA) . MicrosoftCertifiedSystemsEngineer(MCSE) SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS . PossessavalidCaliforniaDriver's license . Fingerprintclearancepriorto employment . TBClearancepriorto employment . Driveavehiclefromlocationtolocation. . Availableto respondtoproblemsona24hourbasisto ensuresuccessfu{pperationof criticalsystems PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS Essentialdutiesrequire,butarenotlimitedto, thefollowingphysicalabilities(coQsJderatRmwill -------------------- --- --- be giventoreasonableaccommodation,withorwithouttheuseofaids): . Sufficientvisiontoreadprintedmaterialsandvideodisplayscreens . Abilityto bend,crouch,crawlorkneelinconfinedspaceswhile installingpomputer equipment,pushing/pullingequipmentandcables,reachinginalldirectidds. . Abilityto liftcomputersandrelatedequipmentweighing60lbsorless. RESPONsmLE TO InformationSystemsTechniciansaredirectlyresponsibletotheDistrictTeclmology~oordinator. MEASUREMENTOF EFFECTIVEPERFORMANCE Successfulaccomplislunentofmajordutiesandresponsibilitieslistedabove. SALARYANDWORKYEAR InformationSystemsTechniciansareplacedontheappropriatestepofthe Classifi~ Salary scheduleandassignedaworkyearof260days. ------- ------- WJNDSOR UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT JOB DESCRIPTION TITLE: TechnologySystemsSpecialist I DEFINITION: Under the direction of the District Technology and Information Services Manager or designee, the TechnologySystemsSpecialistI installs,maintainsandenhancesallDistricttechnologysystems includinghardware,softwareandremoteon-linedatacommunications.Thispositionsupports installationandimplementationofvarioustechnologysystems,andselVesasafirst-levelproject plannerforbasictechnologyupgrades.Thispositionsupportsthe on-goingseIViceofDistrict computers,printers,andperipheraldevices,andinstallsvarioussoftwareprogramsonDistrict equipment.ThispositionsupportstheDistrictandschoolsitetechnologyprogramsasamember ofanITteamworkingwithteachers,administratorsandsupportstaffthroughouttheDistrict. EXAMPLES OF DUTIESANDRESPONSmILITIES: Thefollowingaretypicaldutiesandresponsibilitiesforpositionsinthisclassification. Any singlepositionmaynotperformallofthesetasksand/ormayperformsimilarrelatedtasksnot listedbelow. . Analyzesandevaluatesnewandemergingnetworkandcommunicationshardwareand softwaretechnologiesforDistrictuse . Monitorsnetworktrafficandperformsanalysisonnetworkmanagementfunctions . TrainsusersintheuseofnetworkWideandLocalAreaNetworksequipmentand software . PerformstrainingandsetupofnetworkoperationsforDistrictstaff . Preparescomputerlabsandequipmentforstudentsandstaff . Assistsstaffindetermininglabandequipmentconfiguration,upgradeormodification . Assistsinproductevaluationandservesasaresourcepersoninthe identificationof technologyforeducationalandbusinessuses . SupportsDistrictlea4ershipinthe developmentofpoliciesandproceduresrelatedto technology . . Communicateswithstateofficialsandsubmitsvariousdatato stateagencies . Performsbasicwebsitemodificationsincludingchangesto pictures,textandfiles . Providesremotesupportto Districtpersonnelto solvetechnologyproblems . Supportsstaffandstudentsinthe useofbasiceducationalapplications,LocalArea Networkandproductivitysoftware . Assistsintheplanning,developmentandimplementationofprogramsandsystems . Contactsstafftocommunicatethe statusoftechnologyrepairsornewequipment installation . Maintainsandstocksperipheralsupplies,hardwarecomponents,andsoftware . CompletesinventoryaccountingofDistrictequipment . AssistsincoordinationofwarrantyworkforDistrictequipment . Deliversequipmenttovariousschoolsitesandpurchasessuppliesandequipmentfrom technologyvendors TechnologySystemsSpecialistI Page2 . Communicateswithtechnologyvendorsto createquotesto assistinthepurchasing proce~s . Repairsorreplacesharddrives,diskdrivesorothercomputerhardware . Directstheworkofstudentassistantsto repairmalfunctioningequipment . Performsotherrelateddutiesasassigned REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: KNOWLEDGEOF: . Variousformsofelectronictechnologysuitableforeducationalapplications . Applicationofinformationmanagementtechniquesina schoolenvironment . Operationalcharacteristicsandrequirementsofpersonalcomputersystems,networksand peripheralequipment(IBM~compatibleM, acandotherplatforms) . Theuseofawidevarietyofcomputersystemsandsoftwareandtheirapplicationto Districtneeds . Basiccomputerfunctionsincludingharddrives,keyboards,printers,scanners,and projectors . Designandimplementationofweb-basedapplications ABILITYTO: . Assistinthe developmentandimplementationoftheDistrict's technologyplan . Conducttrainingsoncomputerhardware,softwareandinformationtechnologyappliedto theeducationalenvironmentandotherDistrictactivities · Analyzeproblems,identifYsolutions,projectconsequencesofproposedactions,and implementrecommendations . . Establishandmaintaincooperativeworkingrelationshipswiththosecontactedinthe courseofwork . Readandunderstandtechnicalmanualsandreports . Operateavarietyofcomputersystems,networks,andapplicationsoftware . Maintainconfidentialityofschoolrelatedinformation EXPERIENCE ANDEDUCATION: EXPERIENCE: . Atleasttwoyearsexperienceintelecommunications,computernetworks,helpdesk systems,internet,NT systems,and/orUnix-basedLANS REQUIREDEDUCATION: . HighSchoolgraduateorequivalent . Atleasttwoyearsofspecializedtrainingintelecommunications,computerandnetwork informationsystems TechnologySystemsSpecialistI Page3 PHYSICALACTMTY REQUIREMENTS: . Standing,walking,bending,stoopingand/orclimbing . Dailyliftingandcarryingofheavyobjectsupto 45lbs LICENSE: . PossessandmaintainavalidCaliforniaDriver's License . Possessandmaintainagooddrivingrecord DESIRABLE QUALD'ICATIONS: . ABachelor's degreewithamajorinInformationManagement,ComputerScience, BusinessEducationTechnology,or arelatedfield . Abilityto communicatein Spanish FirstReading:1/15/2008 SecondReading:2/19/2008 BoardApproved:2/19/2008 --- -- WINDSOR UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT JOB DESCRIPTION TITLE: Technology SystemsSpecialistn DEFINITION: Under the direction of the District Technology and Information Services Manager or designee, the TechnologySystemsSpecialistII assistswiththe installation,dailyoperations,maintenanceand enhancementsofallDistricttechnologysystems.TheTechnologySystemsSpecialistII installs, maintains,tests andrepairsremoteon-linedatacommunicationsystems. Thispositionoversees majorprojectsandplanningoftechnologyimprovementsandimplementation,andservesasthe primaryoversighttotheDistrict's datamanagementsystem.Thispositionservesasadirect liaisonto outsidevendorsandprovidesrecommendationsto otherDistrictstaffregarding purchasingandtechnologyimplementation.TheTechnologySystemSpecialistII supportsthe DistrictandschoolsitetechnologyprogramsasamemberofanITteamworkingwithteachers, administratorsandsupportstaffthroughouttheDistrict. EXAMPLES OF DUTIESANDRESPONSmILITIES: Thefollowingaretypicaldutiesandresponsibilitiesforpositionsinthisclassification. Any singlepositionmaynotperformallofthesetasksand/ormayperformsimilarrelatedtasksnot listedbelow. . OverseesDistrictnetworkservers,fiberdatalines,LocalAreaNetworksandDistrict- wideareanetwork . Communicateswithcountyofficeorstate-levelpersonnelto facilitateimprovements and/oradherenceto stateandlocaleducationalrequirements . OverseestheDistrictwebsiteandmanageschangesto content,formatandcoding . Analyzes,developsandevaluatesnewandemergingnetworkandcommunications hardwareandsoftwaretechnologiesforDistrictuse . . Providesguidancetoteachersandadministratorsinterestedinpurchasingeducational technology . ServesasaDistrictliaisonto statedepartmentsandsubmitsdatatovariousstateagencies . ServesonDistrictorcountycommitteesrelatedtotechnology . Monitorsnetworktrafficandperformsanalysisonnetworkmanagementfunctions . TrainsusersintheuseofWideandLocalAreaNetworksequipmentandsoftware . PerformstrainingandsetupofnetworkoperationsforDistrictstaff . Preparescomputerlabsandequipmentforstudentsandstaff . Assistsstaffindetermininglabandequipmentconfiguration,upgradeormodification . SupportsDistrictleadershipinthedevelopmentofpoliciesandproceduresrelatedto technology . ProvidesremotesupporttoDistrictpersonnelto solvetechnologyproblems . Supportsstaffandstudentsintheuseofbasiceducationalapplications,LocalArea Networkandproductivitysoftware . Plans,developsandimplementsvarioustechnologyprogramsandsystems -- TechnologySystemsSpecialistII Page2 . Contactsstaffto communicatethe statusoftechnologyrepairsornewequipment installation . Coordinatespurchasesandinventoryofperipheralsupplies,hardwarecomponents,and software . CoordinatestheinventoryaccountingofDistrictequipment . OverseesthecoordinationofwarrantyworkforDistrictequipment . Deliversequipmenttovariousschoolsitesandpurchasessuppliesandequipmentfrom technologyvendors . Communicateswithtechnologyvendorsto createquotesto assistinthe purchasing process - . Repairsorreplacesharddrives,diskdrivesorothercomputerhardware . Coordinateswithsiteprincipalsthe implementationofastudentworkerprogram . Performsotherrelateddutiesasassigned REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: ToperfOImthisjob successfully,anindividualmustbeableto performeachessentialduty satisfactorily.Therequirementslistedbelowarerepresentativeoftheknowledge,skilland/or abilityrequired.Reasonableaccommodationsmaybe madeto individualswithdisabilitiesto performtheessentialfunctions. . KNOWLEDGEOF: . Variousformsofelectronictechnologysuitableforeducationalapplications . Applicationofinformationmanagementtechniquesinaschoolenvironment . Operationalcharacteristicsandrequirementsofpersonalcomputersystems,networksand peripheralequipment(mM-compatible,MacandotherplatfOIms) . Theuseofawidevarietyofcomputer-systemsandsoftwareandtheirapplicationto Districtneeds . Designandimplementationofweb-basedapplications . Websitedesignandcodingprocedures ABILITYTO: . Effectivelyplan,direct,administerandintegrateavarietyoftechnologies . CoordinatethedevelopmentandimplementationoftheDistrict's technologymaster plan . Plan,organizeandconducttrainingandstaffdevelopmentoncomputerhardware, softwareandinformationtechnologyappliedtotheeducationalenvironmentandother Districtactivities . Analyzeproblems,identifysolutions,projectconsequencesofproposedactionsand implementrecommendations . Establishandmaintaincooperativeworkingrelationshipswiththosecontactedinthe courseofwork . Readandunderstandtechnicalmanuals,legalcodesandadministrativepolicies,reports anddirectives TechnologySystemsSpecialistIT Page3 . Operateavarietyofcomputersystems,networks,andapplicationssoftware . ProvidetechnicaladviceandcoordinationwithBusinessServicesforanongoing programto maintainandrepairhardwareandsoftwareofcomputerandnetworksystems andconnections . Maintainconfidentialityofschoolrelatedinformation EXPERIENCE ANDEDUCATION: EXPERIENCE: . Atleastthreeyearsexperienceintelecommunications,computernetworks,helpdesk systems,internet,NT systems,and/orUnix-basedLANS REQUIREDEDUCATION: . HighSchoolgraduateorequivalent . Atleasttwoyearsofspecializedtrainingintelecommunications,computerandnetwork informationsystems LICENSE: . PossessandmaintainavalidCaliforniaDriver's License . · Possessandmaintainagooddrivingrecord DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: . ABachelor's degreewithamajorininformationmanagement,computerscience, businesseducationtechnology,orarelatedfield . Abilityto communicatein Spanish FirstReading:1/15/2008 SecondReading:2/19/2008 BoardApproved:2/19/2008 - - - WINDSOR UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT JOB DESCRIPTION TITLE: TechnologyCurriculum Specialist DEFINITION: TheTechnologyCuniculumSpecialistisacertificatedrolewithcompensationidentifiedonthe . ExtraDuty StipendScheduleofthe WDEAcontract..UnderthedirectionoftheDirectorof EducationalServices,theTechnologyCuniculum Specialistworkscloselywithadministration andteachersto promotetechnologyintegrationwithinthecorecurriculumandto expandtheuse ortechnologyresourcesinallclassroomsthroughouttheDistrict.Thisleadershiprolepromotes Districtinitiativestoimproveclassroominstructionalstrategiesbyimprovingaccessandtraining forDistrictteachers.TheTechnologyCuniculum Specialistswillhelpcreatethevisionfor futuretechnologyintegrationinitiatives. EXAMPLES OF DUTIESANDRESPONSmILITIES: Thefollowingaretypicaldutiesandresponsibilitiesforpositionsinthisclassification. Any singlepositionmaynotperformallofthesetasksand/ormayperformsimilarrelatedtasksnot listedbelow. . ProvidestechnologytrainingtoDistrictstaff . HelpsdevelopandimplementtheDistricttechnologyvisionandwritten technologyplan . Keepsabreastofthe latesttechnologyresourcesandsharesthat informationwith . staff Recommendspurchasesofinstructionalhardwareandsoftware . WorkswithDistrictlibrarystaffto updateandtrainemployeesonuseof web-basededucationalresources . Trainsstaffoncurriculum-relatedtopicsusingtheDistrictdatamanagement system . ServesasliaisonbetweenschoolstaffandDistricttechnologystaff . Conductsdemonstrationlessonsforteachers . Providessupporttoteachersinterestedincreatingteacherwebpages . Supportstechnologyintegrationbetweenschoolsites . Performsotherrelatedtasks REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Toperformthisjob successfully,anindividualmustbeableto performeachessentialduty satisfactorily.Therequirementslistedbelowarerepresentativeoftheknowledge,skilland/or abilityrequired.Reasonableaccommodationsmaybemadeto individualswithdisabilitiesto performtheessentialfunctions. KNOWLEDGE OF: . Latesteducationalresearchintechnology/curriculumintegration . Teachingstrategiesthat effectivelysupportacquisitionoftechnologyskills TechnologyCurriculumSpecialist Page2 ABILITYTO: . Effectivelyplanand/ordeliverin-servicetrainingprogramsforstaffandpar~nts . Planandcoordinateactivitiesdesignedto ensuresuccessfultechnologyprogram implementation . Demonstrateexemplaryteachingability,excellentcommunicationskills,and fostercredibilityamongpeersandadministrators . Maintainconfidentialityandengenderstrust EXPERIENCE ANDEDUCATION: EXPElUENCE; . Threeyearssuccessfulteachingexperienceintegratingtechnology EDUCATION AND LICENSES; . A valid California teaching credential DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: . Abilityto communicatein Spanish . Experienceleadingandcoordinatingteamsofadults FirstReading: 1/15/08 SecondReading:2/19/2008 BoardApproved:2/19/2008 73 appenddricaefsT Appendix E Sample Instructional Computer Replacement Plan and Policy Sample Baseline Standards for Classrooms PetaluMa city schools 74 darppaefnTdices Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 75 appenddricaefsT Sample Instructional Computer Replacement Plan and Policy Sample Instructional Computer Replacement Plan The following is an example of an instructional computer replacement plan. The chart shows student population by school, current number of computers (not all school counts were available for Petaluma City Schools), and current student-to-computer ratio. For this example a proposed ration of 10:1 in elementary and 5:1 in secondary schools is used. The chart shows that 271 computers need to be replaced each year to meet the target ratios. Annual projected ongoing cost is $216,880. A sample policy follows the chart. Sample Job Descriptions Appendix G Sample Instructional Computer Replacement Plan Sample Instructional Computer Replacement Plan Policy Sample Instructional Computer Replacement Plan The following is an example of an Instructional Computer Replacement Plan. The chart shows student population by school, current number of computers (not all school counts were available for PCS), and current student to computer ratio. For this example a proposed ratio of 10:1 in elementary and 5:1 in secondary schools is used. The chart shows that 271 computers need to be replaced each year to meet the target student to computer ratios. Annual projected on-going cost is $216,880 per year. Example policy follows the chart. PetaluMa city schools 76 darppaefnTdices Sample Instructional Computer Replacement Policy Petaluma City Schools Example Replacement Policy for Instructional Computers Approved by the Technology Committee May 201x Recommendation: The Petaluma City Schools has made a significant investment in technology to improve student achievement over the last xxx years. This investment has resulted in a robust infrastructure and the installation of 9999 computers in the district’s classrooms. Technology Committee recommends that the District adopt a policy for the ongoing replacement of these instructional computers to ensure that: 1. Students and teachers have equitable access to updated computers capable of supporting the district’s curriculum standards and instructional programs, 2. The district can reduce the total cost of ownership of computers, 3. School sites and the district can better plan for and manage their technology needs. The Technology Committee recommends the following policy: 1. The district will support the ratio of students to instructional, Internet connected computers adopted in the Petaluma City Schools District Master Plan for Technology: 5 students per computer for secondary schools, and ten students per computer in elementary schools. 2. The district will replace instructional, Internet connected computers needed to maintain the target student to computer ratios on a five-year cycle as part of the annual operational budget. 3. All new computers will continue to be purchased with a three-year warranty that includes on-site repair. During the fourth and fifth year of life, the district will repair a desktop computer as long as the cost of repair does not exceed 25% of the replacement value of the computer. Computers that are older than five years will not be maintained by the district and will be declared surplus at the discretion of the site. If the site opts to retain equipment longer than five years, the maintenance and support of this equipment will be the individual site’s responsibility. Under this policy, schools may acquire additional computers through site funds, grants and/or donations to further decrease the ratio of students to computers. However, Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 77 appenddricaefsT the district will not be obligated to replace computers that exceed the district-adopted target ratios. Background: The District has made a significant investment over the last XXX years to give students and teachers access to the technology tools that support student achievement of high curriculum standards. As a result, the district has been able to deploy Internet connected, instructional computers in classrooms, library/media centers and computer laboratories over the last five years. All schools now meet or exceed the student to computer ratio goals set out in the Technology Master Plan. This investment has enabled the district to implement a range of instructional applications to facilitate student achievement, to support teachers’ efforts to meet individual student academic needs and to make record keeping and student assessment timely and efficient. However, most of these computers were acquired through XXXX funding and other one-time funding, and technology programs, such as EETT, most of which have been cut or suspended. In the absence of a stable funding stream for computers, schools keep computers well beyond their useful life and are unable to plan for their future needs. The district tries to maintain aging computers, which further strains limited resources and increases the overall cost of ownership of computers. The inconsistent funding for computers also results in inequities between schools. The combination of obsolescent computers and uneven access is a barrier to full implementation of critical district- wide applications, such as the Edusoft assessment, integrated learning systems and Accelerated Reading and Math programs. The Technology Committee recognizes that most schools currently have student to computer ratios that are lower than the targets set in the Technology Master Plan. The district would need a total of 1,356 computers to maintain the target ratios at each school site. While there are now 9999 computers in the district according to the last CTAP Technology Survey completed in 2008, more than 70% of the computers at that time were over four years of age - many are not functional or have limited usefulness. Clearly, this policy would not resolve all school site technology needs or replace all existing computers, nor would it preclude individual schools from using site or non-district funds, grants or donations for additional computers. However, the policy would give the sites a stable, baseline level of support, set clear boundaries for the district’s future financial commitments for computers, reduce overall costs of ownership, and give students in each school equitable access to reliable computers that are capable of supporting the district’s curriculum. The district has established technology standards for computers that support the district’s curriculum, and that are aligned with state standards. The district’s donations policy ensures that donated computers are consistent with the district’s standards and the Technology Master Plan. By adopting the computer replacement policy, the Board will ensure continued and equitable access to critical instructional tools, lower total costs of ownership and enable school sites to plan more effectively. PetaluMa city schools 78 darppaefnTdices Based on its research, the Technology Committee recommends a five-year replacement cycle of computers. This policy will result in standardized, up-to-date computers that will allow the district to reduce costs of technical support and to implement critical district wide applications. Ongoing, Annual Costs: The Technology Committee estimates that the cost of the five-year replacement plan will be $216,880 to replace 271 instructional computers per year. The average cost would be $26 per student per year. This policy does not take into consideration replacement of administrative computers or network infrastructure components. It is recommended that funds be allocated to school sites based on the formulae in the Excel Chart, which also provides a detailed analysis of costs by school. The Technology Committee projects that the per computer maintenance costs will de- cline over time as a larger proportion of the computers are covered by warranty and aging, unreliable computers are removed from the classroom. Funding: The Technology Committee recommends that the costs of the five-year replacement policy be part of the district’s annual operational budget. Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 79 appenddricaefsT Sample Baseline Standards for Classrooms Elementary School Example The district should modify appropriately to meet district standards as determined by the tech- nology committee process. Costs could be shown for each item so when funds become available through budgets, grants, or donations the equipment packages could be purchased. PetaluMa city schools 80 darppaefnTdices Secondary School Example The district should modify this appropriately to meet district standards as determined by the technology committee process. Costs could be shown for each item so when funds become avail- able through budgets, grants, or donations the equipment packages could be purchased. Source: South San Francisco Unified School District Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM 81 appenddricaefsT Appendix F Study Agreement PetaluMa city schools 82 darppaefnTdices Fiscal crisis & ManageMent assistance teaM