Technology Budget 19-20 ~ Executive Summary The technology budget supports both instructional and operational needs of the
- district. It consists of fixed and variable costs in five main areas. These include;
- infrastructure services,
- hardware and software maintenance contracts and licensing,
- hardware purchases,
- hardware repairs, and
- engineering support.
Each year we look for ways to reduce costs through re-negotiating contracts with many of our vendors as well as bidding for services, applying for eRate funds, and charging an Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) fee for our Digital Learning Program. In combination with those methods, we also use our own staff to repair existing hardware and install and configure new systems. In addition to the yearly maintenance contract increases, the technology budget large item purchases include year four of Digital Learning. The original School Board approval of the Digital Learning plan was initiated in the 16-17 school year and it included an understanding of the commitment to yearly refresh of the Chromebook technology. Year four includes the hardware to complete Chromebook technology in grades 4 and 5 and new Chromebook technology for grade 6. Other sizeable projects include;
- the replacement of our Storage Area Network (SAN),
- extended warranty support for Chromebooks out of the initial warranty
period,
- desktop and laptop upgrades that are unable to upgrade to Windows 10, and,
- hardware repair costs for equipment that is out of warranty but still able to
function with the latest operating system. The department focuses on cost saving measures wherever possible. Once again, the district initiated an obsolete equipment bid. This year’s bid results will be in by the beginning of April. We also received $180,000 in eRate reimbursement to support our Internet connectivity services, WAN and Firewall projects. Finally, the district took in $155,000 in Chromebook insurance fees, all managed through our online payments system. We continue to look for ways to streamline district processes using technology so that our