District Holds Listening Sessions for Tech Center
by Amy Van Meter
As the first phase of the Stevens Point School District’s technology plan concludes, administrators have prepared ideas for the future, which may include use of the former Jackson Elementary School.
While costs have not been calculated, on April 9 Superintendent Attila Weninger shared concepts developed between the district and the Sentry Insurance Foundation for the second phase of a technology education initiative.
“Everything is still on the table – it is a concept,” Weninger said as he addressed the public’s questions. “We don’t have a complete dollar figure.”
Sentry Insurance has an interest in our students to be technology literate, because some of the district’s graduates become their employees, he said after the meeting.
Although attendance was under a dozen people, the public had other options to offer besides creating a physical center for training the approximate 1,000 employees in the district.
The district could teach employees remotely, said Glen Reindl, Vice President of the Stevens Point Area Education Association.
“I feel like we’re taking a leap and we haven’t checked our parachute yet,” he said.
Wanting to utilize space within the district without purchasing or leasing a new building, the district looked at both the Charles Fernandez Center for Alternative Learning and Stevens Point Area Senior High before identified the former Jackson Elementary School, located on West Zinda Drive, as a possible location. The school was closed in 2005.
“To provide this kind of a space is still a necessity,” Weninger said. “We are not at a point to provide distance learning.”
The initial concept will utilize ten classrooms, all which have movable walls, to create a lounge area, offices for technology integration specialists and teachers, traditional classrooms and group learning classrooms, according to documents obtained at the meeting.
“It’s the most viable option we have,” Weninger said.
In 2009, the Sentry Insurance Foundation and the district implemented the 1:1 Laptop Initiative, an over $4 million grant used to provide technology for grades 9 through 12 as well as improve technology literacy skills among teachers and students.
Transitioning from a grant to a partnership with Sentry as the first phase concludes next year, the district will commit resources and vision into the second phase with goals including expansion in support for grades already involved in the initiative as well as providing mobile devices for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The district also identified the need to establish technology standards for both students and teachers as well as provide technology training for all employees with the creation of a technology development center.
“Professional development is probably the most important thing we can do to ensure student achievement,” Weninger said.
Once plans are finalized, administrators plan to acquire committee and board approvals as well as the approval from the Sentry Foundation by September 2013, according to a timeline provided at the information forum.
“We are in planning mode,” Weninger said.