Manchester Township Schools Going Wireless

When Manchester Township school students return to their buildings in September, wireless internet will have been installed and a new phone system will be in place in all schools.

"The state is changing how they are doing student competency testing," said District Business Administrator Craig Lorentzen. "Anything done now on paper will be required to be done on computer. To do that, we need wireless in the district."

He said they already have wireless in certain areas, but there just aren't enough hard wired computers to allow for all students to have access to the internet for Partnership for Assessments of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) state-mandated testing, such as the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) and the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) for grades 3-8. He said those tests will be conducted online only starting in 2015.  

"This is going to require a large amount of devices that will need internet access," said Lorentzen. "The only way we can meet the needs of the testing requirements is to install a wireless network since we do not have the space to add more computer labs in each school."

The cost of installing the wireless and phone systems is $552,000, according to Lorentzen. Part of the funding, $300,000, is coming from a state aid payment in the 2011-2012 school year that the district was allowed to apply to future school years.  The Manchester Township Education foundation donated another $25,000 to the district for the project. The district will finance the rest.  

"We are implementing a new phone system," he said. "Communication is number one, allowing us to do things we could never do before."  

He said the district has already begun advancing technologically, piloting an iPad classroom in the high school and opening a new computer lab in Whiting Elementary School.  

"That's the future, that's what we're moving towards," said Lorentzen. "Having wireless in place will allow us more opportunities to do things with technology."