Identical sets of new Dell wireless computers light up desks at Deerfield and East Heights schools.

Thirty laptop units are part of the Lawrence public school district’s $60,000 experiment with nontraditional academic computing systems.

Alex Sanders, a kindergarten student at New York School, works on a computer phonics program in the school's Discovery Lab.

“We put in for it,” said Deerfield principal Suzie Soyster. “We’re going to see if it’s more flexible.”

This initiative is a key piece of the district’s new technology plan, which calls for spending $3.1 million on computer hardware and $1.3 million on computer software in the next two years.

The $4.4 million package would complete replacement of elementary computer labs, upgrade computers in secondary schools, support operation of a fiber-optic network and allow consolidation of the district’s computer servers. Software purchases would fall into three areas: networking, administrative and curricular.

“This is our vision for really getting at integration of technology in the classroom,” Supt. Randy Weseman said.

A work in progress

However, not all Lawrence school board members are convinced the district has a handle on how this expensive technology will advance the cause of learning in classrooms. Curriculum sections of a draft of the new district technology plan don’t satisfactorily address the issue, said board member Leni Salkind.

“We’ve got technology from A to Z in the document. (But) the curriculum integration piece … there’s not enough here,” Salkind said of the two pages devoted to that subject.

Sue Morgan, school board president, said classroom computers can make teachers more effective and studying more exciting to students.

“Curriculum development is a major element of the plan,” she said.

There’s another consideration when developing the new technology plan: money.

In fact, the district’s high-tech blueprint might not be worth the paper it’s printed on.

“We understand that the plan is contingent on budget availability,” said Mike Eltschinger, the district’s director of instructional computing.

The financial reality

The state’s financial health is threatened by a large revenue shortfall this fiscal year.

Gov. Bill Graves asked the 2002 Legislature to raise taxes to support education, but election-year politics make that an unpopular option.

It’s possible legislators would trim appropriations to Kansas public school districts. If so, cash-strapped school boards would look at all options, including support programs such as technology to balance the budget.

If the Legislature doesn’t come through, it wouldn’t be a surprise if school technology was hit hard by school boards throughout the state.

“It all really depends on the Legislature,” Eltschinger said.

Eltschinger said success of the Lawrence district’s technology plan hinged on identification of solid funding sources. State and federal grants need to be pursued, although grant funding is unpredictable.

Broadening local business-education partnerships devoted to computer acquisition may have potential, he said.

He said money for technology also might be included in a future bond issue voted on by district patrons. The school board likely will put a new bond issue before voters in 2002 that targets school facilities improvements in the district.

“Our costs have gone up. We’re stretched thin already,” Eltschinger said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty to this.”