Over Christmas break, business teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Wyss, will finally receive updated computers for her classroom. Wyss has had outdated Dell computers for five years, now finally getting the opportunity to upgrade her computers so her students have better resources to rely on for their class work.
As of last week, the grant proposal for the improved computers for Wyss was presented and approved by the board. With an abundant amount of patience, she’s ecstatic to have more modernized technology for her students. With the amount of frustrations Wyss has had with the outdated computers, the student’s will at last have faster working computers, making class more time efficient.
“I am looking forward to my students being able to log in faster and not having them freeze up on them while working,” Wyss said. “I hope we can get class started right away and not have to wait for a few computers to log in.”
With Wyss’s computer lab constantly having issues, she hopes they fulfill the needs that the outdated computers couldn’t.
“The computers that were purchased for my room with a Vocational Enhancement Grant five years ago were not able to support my students’ learning from the beginning,” Wyss said. “The hard drives have had to be replaced and multiple work orders have been submitted since their arrival.”
Landry Harris, has had occasional anger-induced encounters with the outdated technology. With multiple years of experience with technology, Harris’s education has been affected by the computers in the past.
“[I experienced] a little bit [of conflicts] last year in Personal Finance,” Harris said. “Just because I think they’re like the same computers and they’re both just outdated.”
Multiple different aspects of funding contribute to the ability to afford these expenses for the school. Overall, the board’s votes ultimately decided the question of matter, trying to satisfy everyone’s needs and attempting to find a middle ground.
Board Vice President Randy Cook gives insight to what goes into being a board member. While Parent Teacher Organizations are often seeking support and charitable donations to help pay for school resources like computers, tax revenue is also an important source of funds for the school to be able to afford these resources.
“In addition to expenditures funded through tax revenues collected, Parent Teacher Organizations often seek donations (fundraise) to fund building specific purchases like computers or playground equipment [needs],” Cook said.
Funding plays a significant role in the work ethic of the students and helps pay for many resources for the school and the staffing.
“Funding is extremely important because it allows us to attract great staff and pay for physical resources,” Cook said. “But I believe the work/study ethic of the students is the most critical piece of students’ present and future success and the District’s overall performance.”
