BOE Approves More Than $946K in Technology Upgrades

The Board of Education approved $946,199.35 in technology upgrades at last week’s meeting.

The motion, which was passed unanimously, approved a contract with DynTek Services, Inc. of Mount Laurel, to provide wireless upgrades throughout the district.

A new server will cover a wider area, board President Jack Martenak said. Previously connectivity was separate for each building. There had been times when computers have crashed as students were using them.

“That’s not fair to the students,” Martenak said.

The upgrades will enable WiFi throughout the entire district and is “critical” for computer based lesson plans, technological curriculums, upcoming state assessments and more, he said.

“Our teachers and faculty are the real backbone of our instructional programs in Lacey, as they should be,” Vice President Eric Schubiger said. “But the foundation of good instructional programs really begins with technology. Quite frankly we’re behind.”

One of Dr. Sandra Brower’s initiatives coming in as Superintendent was technology, Schubiger said. Much of the in the budget for 2012-13 center on technology upgrades and curriculum development. 

Technology was actually a focus of Disparity and inequity between classrooms needs to decrease, she previously said. Everyone needs to be provided with the same opportunities and resources to support the schools need to be aligned. 

“Technology is hugely underscored,” Brower said in February.

Operational strategies included reducing costs to create efficiencies whenever possible, promote equitable distribution of current and future resources and strengthen the technology plan to integrate instruction initiatives, she said.

“Technology, technology, technology is what we’ve been talking about,” Brower said then.

The school board supported Brower in these initiatives, Schubiger said.

“We’ve made great strides the past couple of months figuring out how to provide a better foundation for our students,” he said.

Years from now the current board will look back and say, “We did something really great back in 2012,” he said.

The upgrades took the effort of administration to figure out how to embark on technology upgrades in the current economic conditions.

“Somehow they’ve done it,” he said.

The upgrades were budgeted for in the 2012-13 budget, he said.

“We’re not going back and asking for anything from the public.”