Develop strategies for funding and management

1.   Develop strategies for funding

There are different strategies I would use for funding. They are as follows:

1.    There needs to be research on what type of funding the school may qualify for.  We are a Title I school which may qualify for funding that other schools may qualify for.

2.    Learn your time lines for the funding and plan accordingly.

3.    Get the willing teachers involved in writing applications, forms and assignments for funding.  Develop a committee, which will include a grant writer, for the searching of funding and grants, the writing process and submitting timeline.

4.    Conroe ISD used E-Rate as one of their funding sources.  E-rate is a program that provides discounts to assist most schools and libraries in the United States to obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access.

2 and 3 - Strategies for a management plan and the required procedures for the proposed strategy

Moorhead Junior High is a title I school.  We use very little money on technology in this school.  We do not really do much for funding.  I have done a little research on management plan and the procedures.  I have found a lifecycle of technology from GSTI Corp. that gives me a few ideas for a management plan.

•      Assess and Identify 

The first step in develop strategies for funding and management is to assess the school’s technology objectives and identify end-user needs.  A key element of this process is to address every phase of the technology lifecycle so that future school needs, technology requirements, financial considerations, and expansion plans are anticipated and addressed from the start. This involves developing logistics, deployment timelines, technology health check schedules, refresh cycles, and asset disposal plans. A long-range view that anticipates and addresses next-generation technologies should protect the IT infrastructure from obsolescence due to unexpected budget shortfalls or the inability to scale to meet expansion requirements. 

This strategy can be difficult at times because of lack of funding to the school.  There may need to be a plan to find funding other than government funding or school funding.

•       School Initiatives, Objectives and Needs Analysis

The assessment of the school objectives and the identification of the school’s process form the framework for the recommended IT architecture.  This serves as a working model for the development of an IT infrastructure that continually supports the school.

•       Technical Environment Evaluation

It is vital that the procuring school understands the business processes supported by the IT infrastructure.  A technical evaluation by the technical specialist of the school identifies the best technology architecture for the environment. The results drive the requirements for the IT components and services to be integrated into the existing infrastructure. Consequently, the technical specialist can right-size the technology architecture for flexibility to meet current and future user demands, performance requirements, and applications. Through close examination of existing school needs and resources, the technologists can then evaluate the technology that will meet forecasted capacity and enhancement requirements over a span of years.

•       Technology Selection and Acquisition Strategy

Specifications for the appropriate technology are created from the results of the technical evaluation and needs analysis. The end-user needs analysis, which involves identifying and categorizing specific needs for the school operational, and technical needs, and defining requirements and expectations from the customer/user perspective, provides the details for an outcomeplan.

•       Technology Validation and Refresh Cycles

Regularly scheduled reviews and assessments of the IT infrastructure systems enable schools to ensure that the technology integrated into their IT infrastructures continues to perform to expectations. When it becomes evident that the currently installed technology no longer has the capacity or capability to support the school’s needs, components can be swapped for new or updated technology. Effective financial planning, funding and management make appropriate technology refreshes easier by proactively developing a replacement strategy for assets prior to initial deployment.

Some of the process of this phase depends on the funding for the school.  There will need to be a plan for what to do if the funding is not there.  There can be fundraisers, proposal to the district for the purchase of the needed technology and research for a cheaper way but still fulfills the need of the school.

•       Asset Disposal Strategy

A complete assessment of the costs and resources required to manage assets through the entire technology lifecycle enables a school to plan for the disposal of the devices when they reach the end of their useful life. Asset disposal factors to consider include potential resale value, disposal costs, and services required to securely uninstall data and remove equipment. Although predicting resale values and asset disposal costs is not typically a core skill of an organization’s internal IT resources, it is a critical element in managing the costs of the IT infrastructure. Costs for contracting with environmental specialists must be factored in if outside services are needed to comply with environmental and security regulations.  Regardless of the method of disposal (donation, resale, or destruction), there are additional costs associated with the destruction of data stored on the equipment, which may require degaussing the hard drives or using commercially available erasure tools.

These phases need to be completed by the technology specialist at Moorhead.  If there is committee that is formed, they can be a part of the different phases. 

TPESC. (n.d.) E-rate. Retrieved from: http://tpesc.esc12.net/erate/default.html

GTSI Corp. (2008). Technology Lifecycle Management. Retrieved from http://www.gtsi.com/cms/documents/White-Papers/Technology-lifecycle-Mgmt.pdf

NIAID. (February 27, 2012). Strategy for NIH Funding. Retrieved from http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/grant/strategy/pages/default.aspx