ANNUAL REPORT TOWN OF GRANBY MASSACHUSETTS FOR ...

SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY
I am pleased to present my Fifteenth annual school technology
report to the townspeople of Granby.
The use of technology is a critical necessity for the daily
operation of the schools. In order for a school to fulfill it
educational and administrative obligations, technology is
constantly being used.
Almost every administrative duty requires the use of a
computer, the internet, specialized software, or another
technology. Procedures such as payroll processing, accounting,
budgeting, student record keeping, data processing, and the
submission of electronic reports, etc. all require the use of
computers, software and the internet. Although these procedures
were accomplished in the past without these technologies, that is
no longer an option. Over the years, the amount of data that
schools are required to process and maintain has increased
drastically making it impossible to perform these tasks without
computers. More importantly, state regulations now require this
data to be submitted in an electronic format complying with very
specific guidelines. In order to comply, the schools must use
computers systems that adhere to these standards. Each year, the
state imposes more stringent guidelines on how schools must
maintain and submit their electronic records making these
procedures more complex.
Since the state uses this data to compute the amount of state
aide the schools will receive, it is very important that the schools
submit all the data in the format required by the state. Failure to
do so may cause the school to receive less money from the state.
In addition, the state also uses this data to determine if the
schools have complied with other federal and state guidelines.
Thus, it is imperative that the school department have access to
the necessary computer hardware and software so that these
important obligations are satisfied in an accurate and timely
manner.
Technology also has a very important role in the classroom.
Skills on proper computer use, software applications, and webbased
tools, etc. are taught so that students are prepared for the
demands of a digital world. Colleges and employers now expect
students to have these skills upon graduation from high school.
Thus, a comprehensive technology curriculum is necessary to
help students learn these essential skills. In order to do this,
modern computers and software are required.
The most significant change in recent years is the use of
technology to teach other classes such as reading, math, and
history, etc. Many curriculums today require access to special
software and/or the internet. Thus, teachers and students need
access to computer labs, digital projectors, and the internet, etc.
to fully participate in their classes. In some cases, a particular
course is so reliant on access to computers that the course could
not be taught without access to a computer lab or other
hardware/software, etc. Therefore, it is critical that the schools
provide the necessary computer equipment and software so that
each student can fully participate in all the learning experiences
of each course with the ultimate goal of acquiring the technology
skills required for college and employment.
In order to provide students with the technology resources they
need, the Granby Public Schools tries to update and recondition
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its computers and network as needed for its instructional needs.
Due to budget limitations, all of the computers obtained by the
Granby Public Schools over the last year were donations from
other government entities such as the military, federal agencies,
and private businesses. In the summer of 2011, more than 100
classroom computers were replaced with refurbished computers
that were donated to the schools. This included the total
refurbishing of two computer labs, at the Granby Jr. Sr. High
School, all of the classroom computers at the West Street School,
and numerous classroom computers at the East Meadow and
Granby Jr. Sr. High School. Currently, about 80% of the
instructional computers at the Granby Jr. Sr. High School and the
East Meadow School are from donations. Likewise, about 50%
of the instructional computers at the West Street School are from
donations. As a result of utilizing donated computers, the Granby
Public Schools has been able to exceed the state’s
recommendation of a student to computer ratio of 5:1. This
would not be possible if the school department had to purchase
all of its computers. As a result, the use of donated computers has
allowed the schools to offer more technology to its students while
saving a significant amount of money.
In its effort to provide students with the best technology tools,
the Granby Public Schools will continue to improve its
instructional technologies so that students will have access to the
learning experiences necessary for success in college and
employment.
Respectfully yours,
David Lukaskiewicz, Technology Coordinator
ENROLLMENT
OCTOBER 1, 2011
K 57
1 56
2 68
3 51
4 68
5 66
6 76
7 84
8 82
9 67
10 74
11 81
12 79
Total 909
Pre-K 31
School Choice 139
Home Schooled 17
Pathfinder 16
Out of District 41
Private 54