Fort schools to replace PCs, laptops (01/18/06)

Replacement of 104 personal computers and 21 laptops in the Fort Recovery schools is called for under a technology budget reviewed by the Fort Recovery School Board Tuesday.

Plans would also allow for the purchasing of 15 additional monitors and upgrading of 80 Microsoft Office programs to Windows 2003 from the Windows 97 program currently in use.

District technology director Curtis Hamrick said Tuesday that while the school district usually budgets $100,000 yearly for technology, this year’s plan calls for $121,500. The difference will be made up from previous years’ budget surplus.

“Our classrooms are seeing use out of our equipment,” said Hamrick. Fort Recovery schools have about 600 computers for their roughly 1,000 students, including four computers to each classroom.

“Seeing some of the projects our kids do, I don’t think we would see near the level of accomplishments without all that technology,” said superintendent David Riel.

The board also heard a presentation by treasurer Lori Koch about the annual budget. The board voted to approve a budget for fiscal year 2007, which will call for $1,587,075 in tax revenue in the school system’s general fund.

In other news, Nancy Abels, an administrator at the middle school, presented the Fort Recovery data portfolio, a binder containing factual and statistical information including financial reports, proficiency test results and completed surveys.

“We always know the data has been out there, it was just hard to find,” said Riel. “This should make things much easier.”

Riel will exhibit the portfolio during his presentation on the use of data to improve school performance at the Ohio Association of Local School Superintendents.

Fort Recovery High School principal Ed Snyder discussed results of PLAN, a proficiency test administered to sophomores in the fall. PLAN is sometimes referred to as the “pre-ACT” and is a good indicator of how students will do on the ACT.

Snyder said all scores fell above the national average, an indicator that the students are likely to be successful on the ACT and the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) later this spring. Similar to the ISTEP in Indiana, the OGT must be passed by Ohio high school students in order to earn their diploma.

Ted Shuttletworth, principal of Fort Recovery Middle School, also discussed testing. This spring, grades 2 through 9 will also take the Terra Nova test, which tests reading, math, science and social studies skills and can be used to identify gifted students.

Shuttletworth said the test will cost about $7,300, but “it will give teachers another tool in their briefcase to help identify kids who need more help in certain areas.”

It will also help middle school students sharpen their skills prior to taking the OGT.

Also, the school board accepted the donation of a pastel painting by local artist and Fort Recovery High School graduate Phil Wood. The portrait of a Miami Shawnee native American will be displayed in the elementary/middle school media center.

“Hopefully some of the kids will be inspired to think of something they can do some day,” said Wood.[[In-content Ad]]