City Times Staff

Director of Technology Brian Casey (right in photo) had a hard time convincing some members of the Stevens Point School Board that housing a new professional development center inside the former Jackson Elementary was a good idea.

Casey is proposing the board allow the center, which would train teachers- and eventually parents and students- how to use the latest apps, devices and other technology relevant to student learning. The district has the technology, but it’s the wide open space of rooms at Jackson which make it the most efficient way to train teachers.

IT officials in the district said currently, they have to poach rooms from other teachers inside the schools, or take up valuable space at Bliss Educational Services Center for the training. Casey said neither option is very efficient.

Board Member Jeff Presley (left in photo) he appreciated the value of having trained IT staff, but said the teachers should instead use existing schools as their home base, arguing the travel to Jackson, which is on the west side of town, puts teachers at risk and creates additional liability for the school.

The board will need to decide whether to allow the professional development center, as well as the new Point of Discovery School, to use Jackson at its first meeting in March.