How Schools Can Save Money By Using Technology
by Misty LackieBefore I go into detail here, I must confess that this is a topic that is very close to my heart right now. With that said, be prepared for some emotion here.
My son started kindergarten this year and within the first week it was very evident how troubled the California school system is right now. While California is in pretty deep financial turmoil, my guess is that other states are having similar pains too. The first day of school, the teacher had an orientation with the parents before class started and mentioned that they have no supplies and would appreciate donations. She gave all of us a “wish list” of items that she would like for the class. These were basic things like crayons, pencils and other arts and crafts supplies. By the expression on her face, it was evident that she was troubled and that it was hard for her to ask us parents for this. But what’s great about the people in our community (and this country, for that matter) is that we pulled together and were able to provide the classroom with the supplies it needed.
Now, over a month later, my son’s teacher called another parent meeting. This time around she expressed her concern that she is the only teacher for a class of 29 four to five year old kids. Now imagine for a minute trying to educate 29 four to five year olds by yourself. I have 1 in my house and I can barely get him to focus for even a few minutes. My son’s teacher had two choices: 1) Lower her standards as a teacher and provide our kids a lower quality education or 2) look for alternatives. Thankfully, she chose the latter. She proposed a plan to the parents in which she asked that we allow her to split up the class into two sessions. One in the morning and one starting midday. This will allow her to have two classes with 15 kids in each class, and require her to work 2 additional hours per day with no extra pay. But this is what she proposed because she refuses to lower her standards; she knows that smaller groups means more attention for the children and a better overall education. All I can say is “WOW!”. Many would probably just lower their standards.
What is the main problem here?
There is no money for our schools, so our entire school system is understaffed. This results in fewer teachers and more students to a class, which results in a poorer education, which results in harming our kid’s future and the future of our country.
So, of course, this got me thinking. How can schools and classrooms save money to put towards hiring more teachers? Being the techie that I am, I tend to always look at technology for ways to streamline things.
Reduce the sheets of paper and folders our kids take home. It’s not free to print up multiple sheets of paper each day. Most of what is sent home is announcements and printed homework. My son brings at least 3 sheets home per day. Now multiply that by 29, add the cost of the paper, ink and staff time involved in printing. There is definitely an unnecessary cost that can be avoided.
So I asked myself, “How can we reduce this paper waste and cost?”
- Each class should have its own private web portal where the teacher can login and post notes, announcements, upload homework assignments, etc. Many colleges are already doing this, so why not elementary schools?
- Each parent will also have a login where they can access the daily notes and homework. It should be the responsibility of the parent to print out the homework and send it back the next day with the child.
- Parents should be able to leave private messages through the portal for the teacher and vice versa.
So how much would this save? First let’s look at the current costs.
- Cost of paper = 2 cents per sheet. Multiply that times 87 (29 kids * 3 sheets per day) and you get a cost of $35 per month.
- Cost of ink = 3 to 7 cents per sheet depending on what type of printer (ink or laser). That would cost the class $53 to $120 per month in ink.
- Cost of labor = $240 per month. I am calculating this at an hour per day at a $12 hourly rate. I am assuming that an assistant does this and it takes them at least an hour to prepare, print and distribute the printed material in each child’s folder.
Total Cost: $395 per month
Now let’s look at the cost of a web portal.
- Using a free open source solutions such as http://moodle.org/ = $0
- Maximum of $30 per month in hosting
That would give the class a total savings of $365 per month by using technology as an alternative.
I like the idea of doing a split class (after noon and morning) but it is not fair to have the teacher work these additional hours for no additional pay. So how about this – let’s pay the amazing teachers who are willing to make these types of sacrifices that additional $365 per month.
BTW – teachers don’t get paid enough.
Misty Lackie Said,
September 22, 2009 @ 7:58 am
See http://www.redding.com//news/2009/sep/16/internet-replacing-paper-in-north-state-schools/ for an example of a school doing something similar for their meeting agendas and newsletters. Look at how much they are saving on eliminating just the printing of meeting agendas and newsletters.
Rebecca Levinson Said,
September 22, 2009 @ 9:05 am
Hi Misty,
All good ideas…I have been thinking about this a lot lately as well- the paper waste trail and streamlining. One top consideration is if the families in your school district all have easy access to a computer and a reliable internet connection. I know I take that for granted as I work from a home office.
It is funny also, when we had that convo on Facebook wall, I was thinking how Classified Flyer Ads has the basis for a reliable platform for schools to use Flyers.
One other consideration….the platform would need to be bilingual. All of the school papers I receive now are bilingual and their are separate back to school nights with translators. I am going to make an assumption based on California’s diversity that the web portals you develop would need to be bilingual as well.
So
Rebecca Levinson Said,
September 22, 2009 @ 9:06 am
oops, sorry hit sumbit too fast.
So with these considerations in mind, I still think you are on to something. You are right, teachers DON’T get paid ENOUGH.
Misty Lackie Said,
September 22, 2009 @ 9:59 am
Thanks Rebecca! Awesome feedback. The issue with “families in your school district all have easy access to a computer and a reliable internet connection” is one of my main concerns. I suppose the classes could offer an opt out option for those who don’t have computers or internet. For that group, the printed material can still be supplied.
Tina Merritt Said,
September 22, 2009 @ 1:33 pm
Misty – my son just started in the public school system as well (this has been an eye-opening experience after 3 years in private school). We are very fortunate that we have recently moved to an area with a relatively healthy school system and my son is in a class of 15 students. There is an abundance of parental and University support and involvement which the teachers can depend on daily.
In our town, 83% of the households have a computer with high speed internet access. The school has a listserv to relay information to the parents. The students also pay for their lunches/milk electronically and I can logon to monitor my son’s account at any time to add funds or see what he is buying at lunch.
The school is now trying to raise funds to place an interactive white board and projector in each classroom. The cost to meet this goal will be $15,000. We are fortunate, this goal is very attainable. I am sure other public school districts are not so fortunate.
I think your ideas are fantastic. I respectfully disagree however, with the opt-out option for parents with regard to electronic communication. Is it because the parents don’t have a computer and/or know how to use a computer? I would instead use this as an opportunity to offer donated computers to those families in need of one and either the school offering basic computer skills instruction or encourage them to attend their local Adult Higher Education Center. If the parents remain computer illiterate, they will just have more and more problems communicating with their children as they get older which will, in turn, drain the already struggling school systems.
Misty Lackie Said,
September 22, 2009 @ 1:35 pm
Just found Moodle http://moodle.org/. This is an open source system that has what is needed. Why are more schools (especially K-6) not adopting this?
Misty Lackie Said,
September 22, 2009 @ 1:41 pm
Wow Tina you are very lucky! Your district is setting a standard that all schools should follow.
I love your idea of “I would instead use this as an opportunity to offer donated computers to those families in need of one and either the school offering basic computer skills instruction or encourage them to attend their local Adult Higher Education Center”
Michael Thompson Said,
September 22, 2009 @ 11:04 pm
Misty, let me first start off by congratulating you on thinking outside the box. There needs to be a solution, and the only way we will find one is if we start a dialog.
While I REALLY think this is a good idea in theory, here are some of the issues I foresee. They are not show stoppers, but they need to be addressed, none the less.
1) Every student and household would need to have and pay for a computer, printer, paper, and internet connection. You have to assume that 1 or more students would not have access to these resources. If they don’t, who would provide it for them? Playing my own devil’s advocate, the teacher could make printing the material as an option only. Maybe even create a “live” USB version of the course, which would eliminate the need for an internet connection.
2) The current bureaucracy of the state educational system is a mess. We the people would help them reduce costs, but they would continue to make cut backs to education when times get tough, or worse, defer the money elsewhere… like a cash for clunkers type of program. The thing that pisses me off here is that our state government makes cut backs on education and at the same time increases social programs, such as welfare. It should be the reverse. I think CA has 18 months of unemployment now… what the heck… 18 months. Get a damn job… okay, sorry… got a little carried away there. Playing my own devil’s advocate… we could fire all of our elected officials.
3) Taking a stab at it, I would guess that about 40% of the teachers out there would not want to adapt to this process. You know that the bleeding hearts/unions would spin this as a way of reducing the workforce.
Again, I am not trying to be negative here.
Regarding Moodle. I’ve been using it (as a college student) for about 2 years now. It is pretty powerful and has a lot of good features, as well as bad. But, it is a full scale education portal. If you would like to have access to my colleges Moodle program, call me and I’ll give you my id/password to browse around in a real world environment.
A thinking American is a great American!
Misty Lackie Said,
September 23, 2009 @ 12:49 am
Thanks Mike for your feedback. All good points. Yes I would like to browse around your Moodle program. I was going to download and install it on one of our servers but if I can just dig around yours to get an idea that would be better.
After doing more research today I discovered our district is actually offering Moodle to all of the schools. It is there and available for all of our districts schools and teachers. Browsing around the district site, I was able to see which schools and how many teachers in each school are using it. Guess how many elementary schools are using it in our district? A whole whopping 1 and only a handful of teachers in that 1 school are using it.
Just imagine the administrative, postage and printing costs the schools would save by putting reports cards online rather than mailing them out? So now I am even more frustrated because the tools are there for our schools. Our school district has provided the ability but none of the elementary schools are using what is there. I don’t know if it’s a communication issue or if most of the teachers/schools don’t even know that it’s there or what it is.
My next step is to get in touch with our main school district and inquire on “why” the teachers are not using it. If it’s a matter of education or informing the teachers about the system, then I can help with that.
Michael Thompson Said,
September 23, 2009 @ 3:30 am
Re: your comment, “Our school district has provided the ability but none of the elementary schools are using what is there. I don’t know if it’s a communication issue or if most of the teachers/schools don’t even know that it’s there or what it is.”
It’s probably a little of both. It was likely installed by some IT manager and then put on the back burner due to workload, etc. Plus, each teacher would need to be trained and then their coursework would need to be uploaded and maintained. Remember, many of these teachers are not computer people. My ‘Linux Administration’ Professor says that he spends about 5 hours a week uploading and modifying content for his coursework, in addition to his already full school schedule.
What might work, though. Is if you were to take the lead and reach out to a teacher, maybe two or three. You would need to sell it to them and hold their hands. You would then be able to go to the district as show them what works. maybe even spin it as a ‘green’ thing.
On a slightly different issue, Gov. Schwarzenegger did introduce a plan to scrap old text books for ebook (ref: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hrfd1bDx5KzX8zUwsiSghWE6l6-g). I don’t know where it is, but if that goes through, could you imagine the long term benefits? No need for all those books in the backpack. No need to update books every 5 years.
Misty Lackie Said,
September 23, 2009 @ 11:37 am
Thanks Mike! This is kind of where my head is right now “Is if you were to take the lead and reach out to a teacher, maybe two or three. You would need to sell it to them and hold their hands. You would then be able to go to the district as show them what works. maybe even spin it as a ‘green’ thing.”
I have also been thinking of starting a non-profit that will be focused around funding for more teachers and bring technology into the schools. Part of that would be educating the teachers and parents.
Michael Thompson Said,
September 24, 2009 @ 1:44 pm
Misty, check with your local Lions Club or Veteran’s Hall. They may allow you to use their hall for meetings and such. Usually, if you donate to them, they will be very accommodating. There is plenty of seating in there for about 20-30 people. Get an overhead projector or large flat panel and show them the benefits of Moodle and ‘cloud computing’ in general.
Isidro Said,
March 28, 2010 @ 1:23 pm
Misty…this is great. We are looking into cutting our costs here in our school district in Texas.
Jake Said,
July 2, 2010 @ 12:00 am
You could use “Drop.io” (www.drop.io) – this is a free web-service…
it is also private – you can password protect…
you can upload files, leave voice mail messages… it has a free conference call feature…
you can set it up in about 20 seconds (literally)
teacher/parent can always set up an additional drop.io for private communication
no hosting required – again saving another $5 to $30 per month…
and oh yeah, maybe they could pay the teach for the extra classroom hours…
cheers,