Tech Funding

Funding Technology

In conjunction with the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators, the Technology-ready Administrator provides learner-centered environments equipped with technology and learning resources to meet learners needs. In order to meet this standard, the TRA must understanding school funding in general and ways to fund technology specifically.1

Federal, state, and local governments primarily fund elementary and secondary public education in the United States, which include funding for technology. Grants and donations make up a small portion of school funds.2

47%.3%

The national average school district revenue derives from the following: 47% from the state, 43% from local means, 9.7% from the federal government, and .3% from corporate grants.3

School Spending

Take a couple of minutes and write down all the expenses you can think of that a school must pay for regarding technology. Well then around the room and identify expenditures for technology.

personnel plus benefits, hardware, software with upgrades, maintenance and support, professional development, furniture, peripherals, and infrastructure.

Totally, school expenditures in elementary and secondary public schools center around staff with 84% of the total budget for salaries and benefits, leaving a mere 16% for all other expenditures, such as instructional supplies, capital outlay (equipment), purchased services (Services provided by a vendor to accomplish routine, continuing, and necessary functions like trash collection.), interest on debt and facility construction. 4

Although slow fiscal improvement has begun in many state budgets, more than half of the states (29) report drastic budget shortfalls last year. Access to technology,unfortunately, has been threatened by the economic downturn (Ellerson, 2012). Hence, technology budgets remain tight and represent a small fraction of the schools total budget. When district budgets shrink, technology programs suffer because the technology plans realization depends largely on available funds and resource management.5

YOU

To offset financial shortfalls, visionary leadership and strong community effort maintain and even bolster technology initiatives in light of limited capital (Poftak, 2004; Vockley, 2004).) Persistent TRAs with assistance for a committee actually discover means in raising or repurposing funds to sustain or boost technology backing. Conversely, less dedicated administrators cut technology budgets, reduce staff, and forego much-needed professional development.To handle financial matters meritoriously, the TRA:

utilizes the technology plan like a road map, views technology as a process rather than an event, matches school needs with funding sources, spends existing monies wisely, prioritizes essentials effectively, and apportions human and fiscal resources plentifully.6

Local Sources

TRAs first explore their schools general fund and scrutinize the currentappropriation line-items, including technology-related accounts. In some instances the TRA transfers funds from unused or excess-funded categories to meet present technology needs. For example, if the classroom supply line-item is not completely exhausted, the TRA shifts funds from that line-item into technology repair.After examining fund transfers, the TRA scans for opportunities to utilize balances in different ways than previous with an emphasis on technology. For example, the textbook account could be used to purchase e-books or tablets instead of typical textbooks.7

The TRA also seeks a wide range of partnerships with businesses and community agencies to address technology needs for technical support, equipment, or donations. According to a report noted in the text, 35% of respondents to a survey did not receive donations from outside organizations. Of those recountingthe use of donors, the most common benefactors were Parent-Teacher Association, neighborhood businesses, local foundations, area clubs like Lions and Rotary), religious or church organizations, and Veterans of Foreign Wars or military, groups.8

State Sources

States distribute unrestricted state education funds to school districts through a funding foundation set forth in state law. Schools may use these monies for any purpose, such as a technology coordinators salary or tablets.

Entitlements grants are noncompetitive grants that all schools in the state receive, which is prescribed by legislation and awarded by student enrollment or explicit needs.

Discretionary grants are competitive grants also prescribed by legislation for specific projects over a fixed time period.

States differ in their determinations for entitlements and discretionary grants.9

We now turn to the next stream of school funding: the federal government.10

Federal Funding to States

SEA applies to US DOESEA takes a portion of funds to administer programs

The Federal Department of Education announces the latest authorization of the ABC Act once Congress approves the legislation. The DOE makes legislative details available to the public State Education Agencies (SEAs) are authorized to submit applications for funding. Now lets discover a few of the federal government entitlement programs for schools. 11

Heres list of other entitlements.12

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/universal-service-program-schools-and-libraries-e-rate

http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html

Discretionary SpendingSpending that is newly appropriated each year through Congress's annual appropriations process. The most noted discretionary grant is Race to the Tops state competition, which is designed to reward states that are leading the way in comprehensive, coherent, statewide education reform across four key areas:

Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace;Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals how to improve instruction;Recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; andTurning around their lowest-performing schools. Ohio was a 2nd round winner.

A few other competitive programs are:1.School Improvement State GrantsProgram Description:Title I, Section 1003(g), of ESEA authorizes formula grants to State educational agencies (SEAs). Each SEA must award at least 95 percent of the funds it receives to LEAs on a competitive basis. To be eligible to receive a School Improvement Grant, an LEA must receive Title I, Part A, funds and must have one or more schools identified by the SEA in its School Improvement Grant application as eligible to receive school improvement funds.2.Investing in innovation GrantsProgram Description:Investing in Innovation grants support using an evidence-based approach to test new ideas, validate what works, and scale up the most effective approaches in high-need areas, including identifying and supporting effective teachers and leaders, improving low-performing schools, and encouraging parent engagement.3.School turnaround grantsProgram Description:School turnaround grants are competitive awards to help school districts build their capacity to provide comprehensive supports for persistently lowest-achieving schools or priority schools that are implementing interventions aligned with the turnaround principles of ESEA flexibility.

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Local

The TRA also watches for available philanthropic, corporate, individual, and community agency competitive grants. TRA tracks and monitors potential funding sources, retrieves the latest grant writing information and advice, bookmarks sites for periodic review, and leads initiatives to write winning grants.15

To manage money wisely, TRAs understand and take advantage of various initiatives.

First are cooperative purchasing arrangements, which save schools money on infrastructure, broadband, and technology purchases by leveraging economies of scale. In cooperative purchasing agreements, school band together to receive quotes on these items. Businesses lower their prices because of the potential to reach a larger customer base.

The Texas Educational Technology Group Purchasing Consortium is afree, nonmember consortium created to increase buying power for technology and generate large-volume discounts in their state.

The growing trend toward one-to-one and bring-your-own technology endeavors supplies unique means for a district to augment their technology investments.16

http://www.bizrate.com/

http://www.pricewatch.com/

http://www.cnet.com/reviews/?st.co.cat.hl.cdrw

http://www.zdnet.com/topic-reviews/

TRAs explore best pricing solutions through apps like BizRate and Pricewatch and review product performance using CNET and ZDNet.17

Specific practices that encourage advocating technology policies include:

knowing the current and proposed policies about programs and funding related to implementation of the schools technology plan; writing, calling, and meeting with politicians; staying informed on critical issues associated with local, state, and national technology policies, programs, and funding; voicing support or concern on local, state, or national issues that affect the schools technology program execution, including funding bills; and voting in local, state, and federal elections for public officials who support policies, programs, and funding for technology.18

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