This is an outline. More details to follow...
Introductions
Some new faces, some old.
Report from the district
Mark Epstein brought us up to date on many items.
- Bond issue wiring is currently going on in Elementary and High Schools
- SMS and SHS have updated administrative systems. These two schools
are now sharing servers. The combination of schools into one network
saves hardware costs and several thousand
dollars per year in administrative fees paid to BOCES.
- Budget -
$500K for '99-'00 district wide. $10K hardware, $5K software, $5K
supplies/consumables) / school. A little more at secondary schools.
Separate budgets for internet access, repair (through BOCES), staff
and teachers.
- Elementary - 3-5 computers in every 3-5 grade class + printer
(about $100k)
- Middle Schools - each gets a new room full of computers
- ScanTech - Modular Technology Learning system
We are evaluating this as a new part of "shop". It's got units
in Robotics, CAD, Pnumatics and similar.
- Language Labs - New labes in both High Schools. Real high end.
Teachers can run lab from central console, connect groups of kids
together, record, play back, make tapes of kids to take home.
Eventually we will be able to do videoconferencing
- Portable Planetarium - (SkyLab?) - an inflatable portable
planetarium. Big enough to hold a whole class. Esther Weiner at Baker
coordinates scheduling it. [Ed. My daughter used it at NMS and
said it was great]
- HP Journadas - each high school gets 10 HP Jounades (wince machines)
for special ed students. Every village school student gets one.
- Electric work - Elementary and middle schools are done. High
schools still need more.
- Staff development - more than 1/2 of the elementary teachers
signed up for staff development programs this year. 20% of
secondary
Discussion of NMS 7th grade computer requirement. We all think it is
mostly a waste, but don't have any suggestion for a replacement
at this time.
We agreed to send agenda items for next meeting to Henry, who would
distribute them again.