Arlee schools network administrator hopes community passes levy
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ARLEE – During the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, folks standing in voting booths in the Arlee School District need to fill in two of four bubbles for the Arlee School District Technology Fund Levy.
Francis Ryan, the school’s network administrator, wanted the same levy to pass this spring during school board elections — but it failed.
“We put it together pretty quickly and people said they didn’t really understand it,” he said. “More information might help people make an informed decision.”
Part of the confusion comes from the way the levy is broken into two parts.
“Really it’s the same pot of money for the entire school but the state looks at us as two districts so the levy is split into two on the ballot.”
The first high school levy authorizes $23,000 a year. The second elementary levy authorizes $53,000 per year. The two levies combined work out to about $42 of increased tax a year for ten years on a home valued at $100,000.
“In the last election, more people voted for the smaller levy but not the bigger levy,” he said. “We need them both to support the entire school.”
Budget cuts have reduced the school’s ability to put money into technology.
“Some of the general budget is allotted for technology but it isn’t enough,” he said. “We need to ask for a levy. Our other avenues of revenue aren’t there.”
The levied funds would be used to update the school’s technology program, which includes a wireless system, classroom programs and computer labs in the elementary, junior high and high school. Ryan calls the brains of the school’s technology system a backbone, which connects the system together and allows it to operate.
“Every device whether wireless or not, the backbone makes it work. It’s the spinal cord of the system. Without the proper equipment running the backbone, it’s a nightmare,” Ryan said. “The system is slow. The machines error out.”
Ryan runs across the school trying to keep the outdated system working on a daily basis so teachers among many things can deliver computerized instruction, record grades and take attendance. Students use technology to write papers, take tests, research projects, watch instructional videos and develop projects.
“Computers are dinosaurs if they are six months old,” he said of the way technology advances. “The backbone of this system is nine years old and some of these computers are eight years old. If the levy passes, my first priority is the backbone: the major infrastructure, switches, fiber cabling. Then, I would like to refresh the devices on a standard cycle.”
Seniors Brandon Hanken and Kyler Clinkenbeard went to the school board during the summer wanting more exposure to technology. They specifically asked for advanced video production and photo editing classes.
“I was a little nervous,” Brandon said of going in front of the board. “But in our society today, everything is electronic, even if you want to be a mechanic. We need more technology in school.”
The board approved the request for the classes, but the budget only allowed for one new computer capable of handling advanced programs, which limits the amount of students in the class. Funds from the technology levy would help support the classes.
“Hands down this is the best class I’ve taken,” Brandon said. “It gets me out of bed in the morning knowing I can come to school to work on this. If this was here my freshman here, I definitely would have been more interested in school.”
Board members asked the two students in the class to put together a video exploring the school’s technology system as part of the agreement for the approval of the classes.
“What we have now in the computer labs are really slow,” Brandon said. “It takes forever just to log in and we only have an hour for class.”
Brandon didn’t have a computer at home until the school board approved a request for Chromebooks. The laptop computers were brought into the high school after the spring technology levy failed. Students are able to take the computers home to work on homework after using them during classroom instruction.
“They help but it’s not enough,” Ryan said. “Everything behind them is aging: the teachers’ computers and the labs. The Chromebooks eventually won’t be any good without a strong infrastructure behind them.”
Ryan developed his passion for computers in the Arlee School District as a student. He graduated in 1995. He said a teacher encouraged him to open up a broken computer to see if he could fix it, which lead to his current enthusiasm for technology. He took many classes focusing on computers in college. He said his experience with technology in high school helped shape his career path, and he wants current students to have the same opportunities.
“Exposure to these tools helps kids learn their potential and stay in school,” Ryan said.
Ryan hopes the levy passes so he can start strategizing the school’s technological upgrade. He said levied funds wouldn’t be available until the next school year. He explained what he would do if the levy doesn’t pass.
“We upgrade as we can and continue looking for grants,” he said. “We continue trying to make things work and get by until we can’t.”
