Teachers make case for technology levy

Trevor Wilson is a bright 11-year-old at Ruder Elementary School. He’s learned to write computer code at a young age and comes into class a little early in the morning so he can use the school’s Chromebooks to work on code for a video game he’s designing.

That is, when the Chromebooks work and connect to the Internet.

A Chromebook is a pared-down laptop computer that only uses Google compatible software. If it’s not connected to the Internet, it’s not much better than a paperweight.

Problem is, at Ruder and Glacier Gateway Elementary schools, the Internet service is spotty on good days, horrible on others.

“We have a lot of (Chromebooks) that are having connectivity issues,” fifth-grade teacher Sherri Nissen explained last week.

When the Internet goes down, it’s about more than just writing video games for fun. It’s about the basics of teaching. Nissen and teacher Amy Caudill over at Glacier Gateway note that most of their lesson plans are done through the Internet, through software like Google Classroom and Zearn Math.

“They work great when the technology is working,” Caudill notes.

But when a computer goes down or the Internet goes kaput, they’re back to the whiteboards. The problem with the Internet is the WiFi connection doesn’t always work well throughout the buildings. Things might be humming along just fine, and then suddenly disconnect.

Caudill doesn’t even have enough Chromebooks for her third-grade class. The Chromebooks are used to give quizzes, so when it’s quiz time, some kids take the test, while others work quietly on something else. They don’t take a test all at the same time, she noted.

Sure, they could go back to paper. But technology has some significant advantages, Caudill notes.

The software does more than just give tests and lessons, it gauges how well students are grasping concepts in real time. For example, if students are having a particularly bad time with a math concept, the software tells her immediately. She doesn’t have to spend hours going over printed tests, trying to find patterns. It also tells her, in real time, whether they’re getting their work done.

Another problem, both teachers note, is the special white boards they teach lessons on. When they work, they’re great, but when they don’t, they’re almost worthless. Nissen notes that her board is about 10 years old and runs on a computer that’s about the same age. She’s written most of her lesson plans for the boards.

But technology at schools isn’t just about academics, notes Glacier Gateway principal Penni Anello, it’s about security. In February, the school installed a front door security lock with security cameras. Now, once students are inside the building, no one else can get in without being allowed in first by school staff and answering a set of questions. The school did this a security measure because its office isn’t in line with its hallways. In the past, anyone could simply walk through the front doors, sight unseen.

All those are reasons why the three say the support a 16-mill technology levy.

The levy, if passed by voters, would raise about $500,000 annually for 10 years to allow the district to purchase and upgrade software and hardware at its elementary schools and junior high.

The levy would raise taxes on a $200,000 assessed home in the district by about $43 a year.

Right now, the school is investing more than $380,000 annually out of its general fund for technology, but that still falls well short of district needs, school officials note.

Folks can learn more about the levy during a talk Thursday at the high school by Superintendent Steve Bradshaw. It starts at 7 p.m. The levy vote along with the school board election, is May 8 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Glacier Gateway only. Absentee ballots have already been mailed out.