Creativity Funds School Technology

School Administrator, Sept, 1996 by Helen C. Sobehart

Every school system leader seeks ways to pay for new technology and other initiatives.

Recently, I had the opportunity to help develop the AASA publication From Here to Technology. Based on ideas in that booklet and our own experience in a 4,250-student suburban school district, I've compiled some strategies that could be used to support technology initiatives.

* If they won't pay for this, maybe they will pay for that.

Although this strategy doesn't bring additional funds into the school district, reallocating district resources can be useful in supporting technology. For example, if you have a funding source willing to pay for staff development and you already were planning to pay for this training with district money, consider reallocating the district funds for technology.

* Get the right angle.

When exploring foundation possibilities, you need to make contacts, sometimes by asking around outside the foundation, to determine what "angle" the foundation might find most interesting.

For example, we found one of our local foundations was interested in funding demonstrated models of collaboration between "rich" and "poor" school districts. We collaborated with two districts who had a similar philosophy as ours, but had neither the resources nor the conceptual scheme for carrying out inclusive instruction supported by technology The foundation was willing to give money to our district with the understanding that we, in turn, would develop leadership and training in the other districts.

Cultivating Contacts

* Cultivate a good relationship, then use it for mutual gain.

Early in our strategic planning process, we determined the need to build ongoing collaborative relationships with key constituencies. One result was that we began to meet with the mayors of our six municipalities on a monthly basis. We invited them to conduct their monthly meetings at our high school over lunch that we provided.

While we purposely had no technology agenda at first, the building of that relationship allowed us eventually to raise the issue. For example, when it came time for renegotiating cable television contracts in the municipalities, we were able to agree on things they should ask for that would benefit the district and municipalities in services and/or dollars.

* Piggyback on other projects.

We needed to renovate our elementary buildings and middle school. When we floated the bond issue for these renovations we purposely added an additional million dollars to fund the technology to be used in those buildings.

* Leverage partnerships.

We developed a win/win relationship with several high-tech businesses for free or greatly reduced pricing on equipment or software. In return, we permitted those companies to bring customers into our schools to observe the use of the equipment. On a controlled basis, we shared information at local or regional conferences and in publications.

* Organize a fund for excellence.

Citizens of the community who wish to support educational excellence in the schools can form a non-profit local foundation. That foundation can solicit monies from individuals or groups in order to carry out projects that the foundation outlines in its bylaws.

* Act cooperatively.

We have a formal intermediary agency in our region among 42 school districts, which gives us group purchasing power for everything from office supplies to health care coverage. The savings that we net can be used for other purposes, including technology. Similarly, two or more districts could share a position, such as a business manager, which allows each district to benefit from expertise but also frees dollars for other purposes.

Consult Cautiously

* Think and plan long range.

One of our major strategies was to present to the school board a five-year technology plan with proposed expenditures each year. That long-term plan allowed the board to make more informed decisions about leasing equipment, establishing a standard rate of payment, or developing a capital projects fund within the operating budget.

* Consider outside expertise cautiously.

The use of grant writing consultants can be a two-sided coin. While they have expertise, they may not be willing or able to think through the context of your particular needs. A few years ago, several national consultants advised us that we could not expect to receive any major foundation funding "because we were Fox Chapel," a district considered to be wealthy.

After the initial discouragement, we considered what we offered in the way of an excellent reputation for systematic and thorough approaches to whatever we did. We reasoned that "because we were Fox Chapel," we could obtain funding against the odds.

We did this by leveraging the viewpoint with foundations that instead of always giving money to districts based on need, whether or not those districts had a track record of using that money effectively, it would be better sometimes to grant money to a district like ours that could demonstrate how to work out the kinks of a system and be willing to work with another district, educator to educator, to work out those kinks. Our reputation also enabled us to easily attract other partners, including a university and corporations, which made it all the more attractive to foundations.