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Medf
TechTechn
*
rd Public Schools
Review of ology Committee'slogy Plan Proposa
D R A F T * *
eptember15, 2011
www.tecedge.net
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Background
A Technology Advisory Committee (hereafter committee) comprised of teachers, administrators,parents, students, and community members worked for eighteen months to develop atechnology plan that supports the development of 21st century skills for all Medford students sothey are both college and career ready when they graduate. They presented the technologyplan to the Medford Public Schools School Committee, who overwhelmingly endorsed it andrequested funding from the City of Medford.
The total cost for the plan was $7,016,900 total, with:
$ 5,516,900 for devices (laptop/desktop computers, printers, projectors, etc.)
$1,500,000 for network infrastructure (wireless, servers, switches, etc.)
The Committee developed a four year implementation plan, with $3.7 million required for thefirst year.
There is considerable urgency to do something to upgrade technology, since almost 90% of thedistricts computers are over eight years old (including computers in the McGlynn and Andrewsschools that are beginning their 11 th year) and run a no longer supported (pre-Windows XP)operating system. The other 10% of computers are in their fourth year.
The City of Medford asked TECedge, an education technology consulting firm based inCambridge, Massachusetts, to evaluate the technology plan and suggest what should be done
first if only $2 million available this year.
Assessment of the Plan
Overall the plan is consistent with best practices and current research on how to utilizetechnology in teaching and learning. The model proposed for Medford is similar to that used intechnologically sophisticated Massachusetts schools.
The Committee well documented the problems of using eight plus year old computers. Theseproblems include the inability to get replacement parts and to access the many educationalwebsites that utilize new web standards not supported by the old software. The number of computers that work has been going down by about 10% each year.
The plan calls for all teachers to have laptops, printers, projectors, interactive white boards, anda document camera. Every child would have a computing device, supplemented by morepowerful computers for more sophisticated tasks in labs and libraries.
Most of the technology infrastructure (wiring, switches, servers, etc.) was also implemented tenor eleven years ago. The plan not only updates servers and switches, but proposes wireless
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networking in all schools and provides priority to interactive web tasks, which is where mosteducational technology is heading today. The plan also includes the network controls that willallow students and teachers to bring their own devices (laptops, iPads, Smartphones, etc.) toschool without compromising network security.
The pricing of the technology components appeared to be well researched. To keep costsdown, in many cases the committee selected low cost devices. We believe consideration of their effectiveness in 3, 4 or 5 years requires the purchase of slightly higher capability devices ata slightly higher price. We are also recommending extended warranty for all computers. Thewarranty will help minimize support costs since the technology department has lost a number of support staff over the last 5 years.
The only major missing component was associated with the projectors for the high school.Unlike the elementary and middle school, the high school does not have the infrastructure for ceiling mounted projectors. Outlet boxes have to be installed near the teachers desk and in theceiling, with cables for video and sound connecting the two. Mounting bracket for the projector
and an electrical outlet box is also required to power the projector. This adds about $700-900 tothe cost of each high school projector. It is critical that projectors be mounted in the ceiling toavoid wires potentially running throughout a classroom and posing the risk that someone mighttrip over the wires and injure themselves.
In 2014, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education haveindicated that the state test will be an online test only. Thus testing will necessitate the need for up-to-date computers since the existing computers do not the meet minimum requirements.
Funding the Plan
Although the need is great and the plan is reasonable, it far outstrips the Citys current ability tofund it.
It is not realistic to reduce the technology plan developed by the Committee from $7 million to$2 million because most of the technology is eight to ten years old. However, by making somehard choices, the plan can be reduced to $4 million, which can be implemented in two phases of $2 million each.
The one computer per child approach would over double the number of computers in theschools, which is a major component of the plans cost. An alternative approach is based onone-to-one instruction featuring student laptops in carts. Since the laptops are in carts, they
are more effective than the same number of computers in fixed labs because they can bemoved to where instruction needs them. One-to-one instruction is almost as effective as onecomputer per child, but is significantly less costly since it will result in about the same number of computers today. If a school has the space, they have the option of creating a lab with thelaptops instead of placing them the carts.
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All of the eight year and older computers need to be eliminated they cannot effectively workwith newer computers and servers. This means computers have to be placed in every school inthe first phase.
The teacher/specialist stations are implemented district-wide in the first phase, as are a portion
of the student laptop carts. Phase I gives priority to High School and Middle School students.Existing good desktops are reassigned to administrators and library labs. Since funding doesnot allow replacement of the desktops in labs and libraries with new machines, the revised plancalls for refurbished desktops coming off of lease from other organizations. These will bereplaced at the end of their life in Phase II with new computers.
To keep the first phase costs down, the following had to be completely postponed to a secondround of funding:
Interactive white board and document camera
Projectors for the high school since it does not have the existing infrastructure for ceilingmounted projectors
School-wide wireless networking
Ability to bring personal devices from home to use the school network
Ability to prioritize network traffic (traffic shaper)
Disaster recovery provisions
We estimate the district may receive $25,000 to $115,000 in E-rate discounts in Phase I. Theamount depends upon the E-rate funds made available in 2012-2013 by the FCC.
Next Steps
The district needs to prepare a technology plan following the Department of Elementary andSecondary Educations guidelines and submit it for approval. This is in addition to approval bythe School Committee.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. I
1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Technology Advisory Committee .......................................................................... 1
1.2 Overview of Medford Public Schools .................................................................... 2
2. REVIEW OF PLAN .......................................................................................................... 4
2.1 The Challenge ..................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Vision ................................................................................................................... 5
2.3 Devices ................................................................................................................ 6
2.4 Network Infrastructure .......................................................................................... 6
3. COST ADJUSTMENTS ................................................................................................... 8
3.1 Laptop and Desktop Computers ........................................................................... 8
3.2 Projectors ............................................................................................................ 9
3.3 Other Adjustments ............................................................................................. 10
3.4 Network Infrastructure ........................................................................................ 10
4. PHASE-IN ..................................................................................................................... 12
4.1 Approach ........................................................................................................... 12 4.2 Phase I .............................................................................................................. 13
4.3 Phase II ............................................................................................................. 15
4.4 Possible E-rate Funds ........................................................................................ 16
5. ONGOING COSTS ........................................................................................................ 18
5.1 Professional Development Costs Outside of Bond ............................................. 18
5.2 Infrastructure Ongoing Costs ............................................................................. 19
6. NEXT STEPS ................................................................................................................ 20
6.1 Technology Procurements ................................................................................. 20
6.2 Technology Plan Approval ................................................................................. 20
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APPENDIX A: ASSUMPTIONS .................................................................................................. 1
APPENDIX B: TECHNOLOGY COSTS PER DEVICE TYPE ..................................................... 1
APPENDIX C: NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS PER PHASE...................................... 1
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The total cost for the plan was $7,016,900 total, of which:
$ 5,516,900 was for devices (computers, printers, projectors, etc.)
$1,500,000 was for network infrastructure (wireless, servers, switches, etc.)
TECedge was asked to develop a written assessment of the Committees technologyplan. This assessment includes reviewing the overall plan, costs and quantities toensuring they are reasonable.
To better understand the needs and the Committees recommendations, we met with theCommittee, the Superintendent, the Director of Elementary Education/Title 1, theDirector of Media and Technology, and had phone conversations with the NetworkManager and the District Technology Specialist. In assessing the report and in makingrecommendations, we relied on the Committees report for the number of teachers,specialists, and administrators, the number of classrooms, floors, labs, and libraries ineach school. We utilized the Department of Elementary and Secondary Educations
website for the number of students in each school.
1.2 Overview of Medford Public Schools
Medford Public Schools reports information about itself to the Department of Elementaryand Secondary Education, who posts the information on its website(www.doe.mass.edu ). The following data is taken from the state website.
Enrollment by Grade (2010-11)
School StudentsBrooks School 585
Christopher Columbus 513
Curtis-Tufts 25
John J McGlynnElementary School
608
John J. McGlynn MiddleSchool
560
Madeleine Dugger Andrews 502
Medford High 1,222
Medford Voc Tech High 229
Milton Fuller Roberts 605
District Total 4,849
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Teacher and Specialists by Grades
In addition to subject area teachers, there are other educators directly impacting studenteducation. The total number of teachers and specialists are summarized in the tablebelow (provided by the technology advisory committee):
GradesTeachers &Specialists
Total K-5 180
Grades 6-8 120
Grades 9-12 188
Total 488
Appendix A, Assumptions, contains additional statistics about the district.
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capabilities. We concur with the Committees assessment of the problem and the needto address the problem as soon as possible.
2.2 Vision
Instead of simply replacing outdated computers, the technology advisory committeewanted to first rethink how students and teachers should use technology, then decidethe best way to meet the evolving needs. They envisioned:
Computers becoming a TOOL to facilitate learning, not add-on to curriculum.
Redefinition of curriculum to focus on classroom investigations and collaboration.
One device per child. Devices would be issued to students at high school andkept in the classrooms in the middle and elementary schools.
Extensive teacher professional development to adapt to the new environment.
Technology would support instruction at all levels:
It would not be just for rote learning, but would facilitatethe development of higher order thinking skills.
The committee recognized that without adequateprofessional development, teachers would not be able totake full advantage of the potential of these newtechnologies. They developed a multi-year series of professional development sessions, workshops andactivities (see Section 5.1 for details), which would befunded out of the operating budget.
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Computers to connect to the network wirelessly at speeds up to 300 mbps
Improve web browsing speeds by prioritizing interactive network traffic
The network to monitor and manage itself based on access and security policiesestablished by the district, thus minimizing the need for additional support staff
Improved reliabilityIncrease network backbone speeds to 10 gigabit in each direction
New servers will be deployed with the latest operating systems and hardware sufficientto handling future demands. Server virtualization will allow a reduction in the physicalnumber of servers needed and will reduce energy consumption.
The plan includes the installation of air conditioning in the six high school data closetswithout air conditioning. Temperatures in these data closets consistently register inexcess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, reducing the Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF) of the switches and servers in those closets. The disruption caused by service failure canlast for weeks, and sometimes months, until replacement servers are purchased,configured, and returned to service.
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3. COST ADJUSTMENTS
Given the magnitude of the problem, the committee did a good job finding low cost solutions tomeet their needs. They correctly assumed that buying in bulk from specially negotiated K-12
contracts in a competitive environment will result in low prices. In general the cost estimatesare reasonable. In our opinion, committee in some cases proposed to buy some devices thatwill meet the needs for the next couple of years, but may not be considered adequatethroughout a presumed five year lifecycle.
This section will discuss those areas where we feel a different cost should be used.
3.1 Laptop and Desktop Computers
Tech Plan Cost
Laptop $400Desktop $400
The desktops and laptops need to run the Professional version of Windows socomputers and users can be managed in groups through Microsofts ActiveDirectory.The Professional version of Windows costs more than the Home version typicallyadvertised in stores and online.
Each laptop and desktop need Microsoft Office for word processing, spreadsheets, andPowerPoints. The school discount price of Microsoft Office will add about $51 to thecost of the machine.
Typically computers come with one year (limited) warranties (some of the leastexpensive may come with only 90 days). One of the decisions the district must make iswhether to purchase an extended warranty. The technology support staff are familiar with replacing components in desktops, however it is trickier to replace parts of a laptopdue to their smaller size and closer proximity to other components.
Most businesses replace laptop and desktop computers every three years. In Medfordthey might be replaced every five years, and current circumstances indicate the actualreplacement time can be twice that. For these to be educationally useful over a longperiod of time, they should be as powerful as possible, subject to funding constraints.Cheap laptops and desktops typically have slower processors and limited memory thatare likely to feel inadequate in a couple of years.
The desktop computers include a monitor. While it is possible to continue using theexisting CRT monitors, it is probable that over their lifetime the LCD monitors will pay for themselves in lower electricity bills. Over 80% of the current monitors are over eightyears old and have relatively little life left.
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Revised Cost
LaptopLaptop & Windows Professional $500Microsoft Office $51Limited 3 year warranty $100Shipping $5Total $656
DesktopDesktop & Windows Professional $400Microsoft Office 51Monitor $100Shipping $7
Total $558
3.2 Projectors
Tech Plan Cost
Projectors $400
The $400 projectors tend to be older designs thatsupport SVGA (800 600 0.48 megapixels) or
XGA (1024 x 768 - 0.785 megapixels), both 4:3ratio resolutions. The sound is typically 1 watt,which is seldom adequate for a classroom.Typically they connect to the computer using aVGA or USB cable.
Newer design projectors utilize widescreen WXGA(1280 x 800 1.024 megapixels), have 15 or more watts for sound, allows connection over adigital HDMI cable in addition to VGA and USB,and have a network connection for monitoring,
control, and non-video content. These tend tostart around $600-700.
The middle and elementary schools have built-in capabilities to permanently install aprojector in the ceiling. Electrical power near the projector mounting and VGA and audiocables from the wall outlet to near the projector were installed as part of the originalbuilding construction.
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The high school, in contrast, has no provision for a ceiling mounted projector. To usethe same design as in the elementary and middle schools, each classroom would need:
two outlet boxes and face plates (one near teachers desk, the other near wherethe projector will be mounted)
cables between the teacher desk and ceiling outlet for video and sound (the olddesign used VGA for video and RCA jacks for sound HDMI would be thepreferred approach today)
mounting brackets for the projector
an electrical power box and outlet
A permanently mounted projector is the best way to go, however this will add about$700-900 dollars to the cost of each classroom in the high school. There may be roomsin the elementary and middle schools that also will need the installation of a ceilingmounted projector, but that could not be verified in the short time for the review.
Revised Cost
Projectors $615
Ceiling Mount High Schooltwo outlet boxes and face plates $40cables between the teacher desk andceiling outlet 280mounting brackets for the projector +Installation $150electrical power box and outlet $300Total $770
3.3 Other Adjustments
Changing the costs of the laptops, desktops, and projectors impacts the cost of studentlaptop carts, computer labs and library labs.
Other minor adjustments to costs were made.
The costs used in the budget calculations can be found in Appendix B.
3.4 Network Infrastructure
Although Medford Public Schools operates nine different schools, many are on the sameproperty and share the same network infrastructure. The High School, theVocational/Technical High School, and the district administration offices share the same
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building complex. The McGlynn Elementary and Middle schools share the samebuilding and are on the same property as the Andrews Middle School. As a result, thedistrict has 6 distinct school level networks.
Network infrastructure design has treated, and should continue to treat, these facilities
on a single property as a single network rather than completely separate schoolnetworks. For example, the High School, the Vocational/Technical High School, and thedistrict administration offices share a single connection to the Internet and have a singlelocation for servers to provide services. The McGlynn Elementary and Middle schoolsand the Andrews Middle School similarly share a single connection to the Internet and asingle location where servers provide service to all three schools.
This becomes important if parts of the technology have to be delayed due to funding.Although it might make sense financially to delay some computers to the elementaryschools, the network infrastructure at the McGlynn Elementary should be upgraded atthe same time as the McGlynn and Andrews Middle Schools even if the network
infrastructures at the other elementary schools are not updated. To do otherwise wouldincur additional onetime costs and make ongoing operations more difficult.
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4. PHASE-IN
4.1 Approach
The City of Medford has indicated that only $2 million will be available to fund initialimplementation of the technology plan.
The recommendation for a revised plan that can meet the current funding constraints isbase on the following principles:
Medford should use a mixture of computers on carts, in labs, and in libraries.
All teachers, specialists, administrators, and support staff should have acomputer and black and white laser printer.
Projectors in each room where students are taught.
Utilize one-to-one instruction instead of one device per student
The one device per student approach would over double the number of computers inthe schools, which is a major component of the plans cost. An alternative approach isbased on one-to-one instruction featuring student laptops in carts. Every student inclass would have a laptop when they are needed for instruction. Since the laptops are incarts, they are more effective than the same number of computers in fixed labs becausethey can be moved to where instruction needs them. One-to-one instruction is almost aseffective as one computer per child, but is significantly less costly since it will keep totalnumber of computers about the same. However, if a room is available at each school,
Committee members stated that they would prefer a third lab to laptop carts.
All of the eight year and older computers need to be eliminated the older operatingsystem cannot effectively work with newer computers and servers. This meanscomputers have to be replaced in every school in the first round of any implementation.
The new teacher/specialist stations are implemented in the first phase, as are a portionof the student laptop carts. Existing good desktops are reassigned to administrators andlibrary labs. Since desktops in labs and libraries must be replaced and funding does notallow replacement with new machines, the revised plan calls for refurbished desktopscoming off of lease from other organizations. These will be replaced at the end of their
life in Phase II with new computers.
The implementation will require $2 million immediately and an additional $2 million in2013-2014.
To reach the initial $2 million dollar level, the following had to be completely postponedto the second round of funding:
Interactive white board and document camera.
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Projectors for the high school, since the high school does not have the existinginfrastructure for ceiling mounted projectors.
If there are rooms in the elementary or middle school that need the infrastructurefor a ceiling mounted projector, they too should be delayed until Phase II
School-wide wireless networking.Ability to bring personal devices from home to use on the school network.
Ability to prioritize network traffic to improve web performance.
Disaster recovery provisions.
Since wireless will not be available in the first phase,
Teacher/specialist laptops will plug into the existing network connection that their current desktop uses. With the advent of school-wide wireless in Phase II,teachers will have more flexibility.
Laptop carts will have a wireless access point that will plug into an existingnetwork outlet in the room. Phase II school-wide wireless will expand thebandwidth available to the laptop carts.
The quantities upon which the budgets are built can be found in Appendix A. The costsfor the technology devices can be found in Appendix B.
4.2 Phase I
This phase provides teachers and specialists with laptops and printers, includes the
initial roll-out of laptop carts, upgrades of desktops in computer labs, libraries andadministrators through a reallocation of existing good desktops and purchasingrefurbished desktops. Upgrade of core infrastructure services is also included.
Phase I will eliminate all eight year and older computers. The resulting computer inventory will be:
Laptops 1,413Refurbished desktops 515Reallocated existing desktops 180Total Computers 2,108
This will be a reduction in the number of district computers, but at least they will fulfillinstructional needs the old ones could not. As a result of the acceleration of the highschool and middle school implementations, the following student to computer ratios willexist:
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Elementary Middle High District Students/all computers 2.9 2.3 2.1 2.3Students/student computer 3.7 3.2 2.8 3.0
The current ratio of all students to all computers is 2.0 compared to 2.3 at the end of Phase I.
Phase I Budget - 2011-2012
Initiative Qty Cost Sub-total
Grades 9-12 Wireless device carts 14 19,176 268,464
Grades 6-8 Wireless device carts 8 19,176 153,408
Grades K-5 Wireless device carts 15 19,176 287,640
Teachers &Specialists
Laptop & printer 488 761 371,368
Projector for Elementary andMiddle Classrooms
176 615 107,933
AdminDistrict-wide
Relocate HS desktops from2008
130 0 0
CentralPrinters
Every school 20 611 12,220
Libraries Relocate HS desktops from2008
50 0 0
Used Desktops 70 185 12,950
Network Printer & Projector 10 1,031 10,310Labs Used Desktops (25/lab),
Network Printer, Projector 16 5,656 90,496
Mini-Labs Used desktops (15/lab),Network Printer, Projector
3 3,806 11,418
NetworkInfrastructure
Upgrade switches, servers,UPS district-wide
1 650,000 650,000
Services Implementation/Integration Services
1 23,793 23,793
TOTAL 2,000,000
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4.3 Phase II
Phase II rolls out additional student laptop carts, adds ceiling mounted projectors to thehigh school, places interactive whiteboards and document cameras in each areastudents are taught, and replaces the old desktops now at their end of service. Wireless
networking will be implemented throughout the schools
Phase II will replace the old HS computers and refurbished computers now in their 6 th year of service and add additional laptop carts. The resulting computer inventory will be:
New Laptops 725New desktops 695Refurbished desktops -515Reallocated HS desktops -180Net Increase 725Total Computers 2,833
The ratios of students to computers at the end of Phase II will be:
Elementary Middle High DistrictStudents/all computers 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.7Students/student computer 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.1
Phase II Budget - 2013-2014
Initiative Qty Cost Sub-total
Grades 9-12 Wireless device carts 8 19,176 153,408
Grades 6-8 Wireless device carts 6 19,176 115,056Grades K-5 Wireless device carts 15 19,176 287,640
Teachers &Specialists
Interactive white board/documentcamera
277 973 269,806
Projector for SecondaryClassrooms (ceiling mounted)
102 1,385 140,983
AdminDistrict-wide
Replace old HS desktops 130 558 72,540
Libraries Replace old HS desktops 50 558 27,900
Replace used desktops 70 558 39,060Labs Replace used desktops (25/lab)
only16 13,950 223,200
Mini-Labs Replace used desktops (15/lab)only
3 8,370 25,110
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Initiative Qty Cost Sub-total
NetworkInfrastructure
School-wide wireless networking,cabling for wireless, traffic shaper,disaster recovery, user accesscontrol, air conditioning in MHS
data closets
1 586,000 586,000
Services Implementation/Integration Services
1 20,000 20,000
TOTAL 1,960,704
4.4 Possible E-rate Funds
The vast majority of the network infrastructure of the plan is eligible for E-rate discounts.However the E-rate programs limits the amount of funding available for infrastructure,
and what is available is given first to the highest poverty schools. If funds are stillavailable, they are given to the next most impoverished schools, and so on until all thefunds are exhausted.
Realistically, only Curtis-Tuffs (90% discount) and Columbus Elementary (80% discount)are likely to receive E-rate fund for infrastructure based on last years submission.Schools at the 80% level have not been recently funded, except in years wheresignificant unused funds from previous years have been rolled into the funding year. It isnot possible to reliably predict whether 80% schools will be funded in 2012-2013, thenext E-rate application year.
Rough back of the envelope estimates for the network infrastructure and possible E-rate funding are shown in the following table:
SchoolEstimatedInfrastructure Discount
E-rateFunding District Cost
Curtis-Tuffs $32,000 90% $28,800 $3,200
Columbus $108,000 80% $86,400 $21,600
Total $140,000 $115,200 $24,800
All of these costs are in Phase I, which will be implemented as soon after July 1, 2012 aspossible.
If another 10-12% of the students at McGlynn Elementary, Andrews Middle, and RobertsElementary become eligible for the free and reduced lunch program, it would raise their E-rate discount to 80%, increasing the possibility that their infrastructure could befunded. Their E-rate funding would be close to that for Columbus.
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To meet the E-rate deadlines for implementation in the summer of 2012, all eligiblecomponents must be bid in the fall and contracts awarded by January 2012.
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5. ONGOING COSTS
Once the technology is implemented, there are costs associated with using, operating, andmaintaining the system to endure Medford receives the technologys full benefit. These
expenditures are paid out of the operating budget. These costs were developed by thetechnology advisory committee and appear reasonable.
5.1 Professional Development Costs Outside of Bond
Professional development will be needed to initiate a paradigm shift in using technologyand instructional pedagogies that enhance teaching and learning. A series of courses,workshops, and project based activities will be held to:
Train faculty in the use of pedagogies and technologies that engage students inthe learning process, helps them attain 21st century skills, improvesdifferentiated instruction, and addresses universal design for all learners
Develop and support a train the trainer model for lead teachers at all schoolbuildings
Provide ongoing support to teachers in the transition to the 21st centuryclassroom
In addition to the professional development, miscellaneous instructional equipmentupgrades will be needed, as shown below
2011-2012 Budget courses, workshops, project based activities (traditional andonline activities) $30,000.00district technology integrator/trainer (1 FTE) $ 65,000.00instructional technology equipment (carts, labs, software,licenses) and upgrades $20,000.00
Total =$ 115,000.00
2012-2013courses, workshops, project based activities (traditional andonline activities) $30,000.00
district technology integrator/trainer (1 FTE) $ 65,000.00Total =$ 95,000.00
2013-2014 courses, workshops, project based activities (traditional andonline activities) $30,000.00district technology integrator/trainer (2 FTE) $ 130,000.00
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Total =$ 160,000.00
2014-2015courses, workshops, project based activities (traditional andonline activities) $30,000.00
district technology integrator/trainer (2 FTE) $ 130,000.00Total =$ 160,000.00
2015-2016 courses, workshops, project based activities (traditional andonline activities) $30,000.00district technology integrator/trainer (2 FTE) $ 130,000.00
Total =$ 160,000.00
5.2 Infrastructure Ongoing Costs
Renewal of software licenses and bandwidth associated with the district network andInternet access are the primary ongoing expenses associated with the infrastructure.These are shown in the table below:
QtyUnit
Cost Annual Cost
Bandwidth (WAN & Internet) 50Mbps $68,500
Altiris (remote management/monitoring)
$4,300
Sophos Antivirus $14,000
IITS $7,500
Backup Exec $1,800
Server Warranties 10 $1,000 $10,000
A/C Overhaul 24 $250 $6,000
Traffic prioritization software $10,000
Unified access control $25,000
Total Annual $147,100
Many of these costs are currently in the operating budget.
At some point over the next five years, the district will need to increase its Internetbandwidth from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps. This will cost an additional $13,500/year.
All bandwidth cost above are after the E-rate discount has been applied.
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6. NEXT STEPS
6.1 Technology Procurements
Procurement documents detailing all components needed must be developed in Fall2011 as soon as Phase II funding is secured. Care must be taken in developing thespecifications to ensure a number of products/vendors can meet them. Medfords smalltechnology staff will not be able to install this much technology in a short period of time,so requirements for installation, configuration, integration, testing, and removal of allshipping materials must be included for all components. Bids or quotes must be soughtfrom multiple vendors to ensure the lowest price.
All infrastructure procurements must be aligned with E-rate rules to endure eligibility of the resulting contracts. To meet the E-rate deadline anticipated in early February 2012,
all contracts must be approved and signed by the end of January 2012. Work for whichE-rate funds are sought cannot begin prior to July 1, 2012.
6.2 Technology Plan Approval
The Technology Plan must not only be approved by the School Committee, but also bythe Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for the district to beeligible for infrastructure E-rate funding as well as federal and state technology grants.
The technology plan developed by the technology advisory committee, while good, does
not appear to address all of the benchmarks necessary for plan approval by DESE.DESEs Local Technology Plan Guidelines for School Years 2010-2015 recommendsspecific technology benchmarks for districts to meet by the end of the school year 2014-2015. The benchmarks include:
Clear Vision and Implementation Strategies
Technology Integration and Literacy
Technology Professional Development
Accessibility of Technology
E-Learning and Communications
A 3- to 5-year strategic technology plan approved by the DESE prior to June 30, 2012 isrequired for the district to be eligible to receive E-rate discounts on portions of thenetwork infrastructure. Not only is an approved technology plan required for E-rate, butalso for federal and state technology grants.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) will also require atechnology plan as part of its planned accreditation of Medford High School in 2014.
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APPENDIX A:ASSUMPTIONS
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Assumptions Phase IUnit District Devices/Qty Total ES Total MS Total HS Wide Unit
Schools 9 4 2 3
Floors 29 15 6 8
Classrooms 168 80 37 51
Students 4,849 2,311 1,062 1,476
Teachers & Specialists 488 180 120 188
Administrators 130 0 130
Shared NetworkPrinters
20 8 4 5 3
Computer Labs 16 8 4 4 25
Mini-labs 3 0 0 3 15
Library 10 4 3 3 12
Carts
Grades K-3 0 0 0 0 25Grade 4 0 0 0 0 25Grades K-5 per floor 15 15 25Grade 5 0 0 0 0 25Grades 6-8 8 0 8 0 25
HS Math, Science,English, Social Studies
0 0 0 25
HS Fine Arts, ForeignLanguage, ELL, SPED ,PE/Health
0 0 0 25
Shared 14 0 0 14 25
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APPENDIX B:TECHNOLOGY COSTSPER DEVICE TYPE
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Technology Costs Per Device Type
Laptop - Teacher/Specialist $656 QtyUnitCost Note
Laptop & Windows Professional 1 $500Microsoft Office 1 $51
Limited 3 year warranty 1 $100Shipping 1 $5
Teacher/Specialist Station $761 QtyUnitCost Note
Laptop 1 $656Printer 1 $105
Laptop - High School Students $656 QtyUnitCost Note
Laptop & Windows Professional 1 $500Microsoft Office 1 $51Limited 3 year warranty 1 $100Shipping 1 $5
Laptop - Middle Students $656 QtyUnitCost Note
Laptop & Windows Professional 1 $500Microsoft Office 1 $51Limited 3 year warranty 1 $100Shipping 1 $5
Laptop - Elementary Students $656 QtyUnitCost Note
Laptop & Windows Professional 1 $500Microsoft Office 1 $51Limited 3 year warranty 1 $100Shipping 1 $5
Laptop Cart - High School $19,176 QtyUnitCost Note
Laptop 25 $656Spare laptop 1 $656Wireless Access Point 1 $120Cart 1 $2,000
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Laptop Cart - Middle $19,176 QtyUnitCost Note
Laptop 25 $656Spare laptop 1 $656Wireless Access Point 1 $120
Cart 1 $2,000
Laptop Cart - Elementary $19,176 QtyUnitCost Note
Laptop 25 $656Spare laptop 1 $656Wireless Access Point 1 $120Cart 1 $2,000
Networked Lab Printer $416 QtyUnitCost Note
Black and white laser 1 $400Ethernet cable 2 $3Shipping 1 $10
Shared Network Printer $611 QtyUnitCost Note
Laser Printer 1 $600Ethernet cable 2 $3Shipping 1 $5
Printer - USB attached $105 Qty UnitCost NoteBlack and white laser 1 $100Shipping 1 $5
Projector $615 QtyUnitCost Note
Projector 1 600Video Splitter 1 10Shipping 1 5
Desktop - Students $558 QtyUnitCost Note
Desktop & WindowsProfessional
1 $400
Microsoft Office 1 $51Monitor 1 $100Shipping 1 $7
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Used Computer$185 Qty
UnitCost Note
Desktop 1 100 Approximately 4 yrs oldLCD Flat Panel 17" 1 75 Approximately 4 yrs old
Shipping 1 10
Desktop - Relocate HS Desktops $0 QtyUnitCost Note
Desktop & WindowsProfessional
1 $0 Reallocate 4 yr old HS desktops
Microsoft Office 1 $0Monitor 1 $0Shipping 0 $0
Lab $14,981 QtyUnitCost Note
Desktops 25 $558networked printers 1 $416LCD projectors 1 $615
Mini-Lab $9,401 QtyUnitCost Note
Desktops 15 $558networked printers 1 $416LCD projectors 1 $615
Library - Relocate $1,031 QtyUnitCost Note
Desktops 12 $0 Reallocate 4 yr old HS desktopsnetworked printers 1 $416LCD projectors 1 $615
Lab - Used Computers $5,656 QtyUnitCost Note
Desktops 25 $185networked printers 1 $416LCD projectors 1 $615
Mini-Lab - used computers $3,806 QtyUnitCost Note
Desktops 15 $185networked printers 1 $416LCD projectors 1 $615
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APPENDIX C:NETWORKINFRASTRUCTURE COSTS
PER PHASE
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Network Infrastructure Costs Per Phase Item Location Description Qty $ Unit Total Phase 1 Phase IIA/C Unit MHS The MHS Data Closets
require AirConditioning.
6 $6,000 $36,000 $36,000
Wireless District-wide
Wireless in everyschool
$280,000 $280,000
Switches District-wide
Ethernet NetworkSwitches
20 $20,000 $400,000 $400,000
User accessControl
District-wide
User access ControlAppliances - devices& software
$50,000 $50,000
Traffic Shaper District-wide
Prioritize networktraffic - devices &software
$75,000 $75,000
Servers District-wide Existing servers will bereduced by 5 20 $7,000 $140,000 $140,000
UPS District-wide
UninterruptablePower Supplies
20 $1,500 $30,000 $30,000
DisasterRecovery
District-wide
Disaster Recoverhardware will manage2 buildings persolution.
5 $5,000 $25,000 $25,000
ImplementationServices
District-wide
Detailed design,hardware/softwareinstall, configure,
integration, test
$150,000 $75,000 $75,000
Cabling District-wide
Primarily associatedwith wirelessimplementation, butalso as needed at thehigh school
$50,000 $50,000
Total $1,236,000 $645,000 $591,000