Once technology moves from intimidating to familiar, oceans of possibilities open up for improving district procedures. In Mesquite ISD, the board-packet process has not become electronic yet, but that change is on the horizon. However, the district has been creative in using electronic methods to eliminate the use of paper and time in myriad other ways. For instance, the district s budget book and all annual reports and evaluations have been placed on CD-ROM, doing away with notebooks that were almost three inches thick each. Robert Seward, Mesquite ISD Board member and TASB trustee, lists a litany of benefits, to his and other school districts, of moving district operations into the 21 st century.
Technology is a useful tool.
It saves time, which means that staff is not spending man-hours away from education, Seward said. Our district has been getting rid of filing, and it s actually easier now to access the information, because you can index it. Seward also pointed out that by using the Internet to communicate, board members can be responsive to information instantly. He watches for the TASB legislative updates on the web and is involved in tracking legislation on line and then sending e-mail updates to groups in his area who might wish to act on the news. Keeping OMA in mind.