New Technology at the School (Hopefully!)

Quite a few large grants are being applied for this year, and most should be rewarded. The middle school is working on an eMints/METS Grant for 4 classroom labs and 5 additional rooms to get new equipment, though not a full lab. The intermediate school is doing their 5 year of the eMints for all, which will actually be for the 7th grade, adding 4 more classrooms with new equipment, exactly the same as the 5 above. And the high school business department is going to replace both labs, as well as the health occupations lab and an additional one. Quite a few changes considering the libraries are all being replaced with thin clients as well this summer. If all goes as planned, the "extra" technology should trickle down though the system ridding the primary school, and the remaining departments in the middle and high schools who have less grants to apply for, of most of the older equipment. We'll definitely meet last years goal of no computers less than 500MHz, not counting thin clients, and might even be able to stretch that to 1GHz. That's quite an updated system. Hopefully we'll have enough tech budget to replace any remaining infrastructure, network switches and cable, to bring everything up to date. The biggest challenge won't be getting it in. It won't even be this year. It will be years from now when this equipment gets older and needs to be replaced, whether grants are available or not. I'm praying someone looks at the bigger picture this time and goes for a long term plan, something that should last 5 to 10 years. Not 2 to 5.

Well I just needed to vent that. Doesn't sound like I'll have time for a vacation again this year, but somehow we'll manage. I really want the kids to go on some trips and have fun. Even if we don't go far I'll make sure we go to the park and zoo every week!