MUST READ!!! BEHIND THE SCENES INFO ON CONTROVERSIAL SHAWNEE SCHOOL DISTRICT 1-TO-1 APPLE CONVERSION!!!!

TKC NOTE: This morning we're featuring  WELL-DOCUMENTED AND FULLY RESEARCHED TESTIMONY ON AN UPCOMING AND CONTROVERSIAL TECH DEAL FOR A LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT!!!

CHECK THIS KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTER AND JOCO INSIDER TESTIMONY ON AN UPCOMING VOTE APPLE CONVERSION WITH MORE THAN A FEW CONTROVERSIAL DEETS!!!

More than anything, we appreciate the lesson on how school biz is done in Johnson County.

Check it:



Golden Ghetto 1-to-1 Computing

I am a teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District. On Monday evening the board will vote to approve a 1-to-1 purchase with Apple. Last December superintendent Dr. Jim Hinson and some of the boards members took a trip to California to drink the Apple Kool-Aid. All teachers and high school students will get notebooks and the middle school and some elementary students will get iPads. Presumably next year the remaining elementary students will get iPads. Hinson seems to be really pushing this and the board has a history of rubber stamping all recommendations from the superintendent.

So far this has all been very secretive with no input from the pubic or teachers. As a teacher I am always open to new technology, but we are concerned that very little curriculum planning has been done. Most of the programs we currently teach do not have a MAC compatible version. Another issue is our current wireless network. It was just upgraded last summer and still performs poorly in many schools. What happens next year when all these new devices are dumped on the network?

Here is the agenda for Monday's meeting.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/smsd/Board.nsf/public

Look under 'J. Consent - Business Services' for these items.

Approval to Purchase Hardware from Hewlett-Packard and CDWG
$96,000 in servers to support the new devices.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/smsd/Board.nsf/files/9FFM8G56CBA2/$file/20140117085018906.pdf

Approval to Purchase Software Subscription, Training and Implementation Services from JAMF (Casper)
$75,000 in training for support staff.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/smsd/Board.nsf/files/9FELQX56CA81/$file/SR1-27-14F-Software%20Subscription%2C%20Training%20and%20Implementation%20Services%20from%20JAMF.pdf

Approval to Upgrade Direct Internet Access Service
The Time Warner bill is going up $25,000\mn to support the new computers.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/smsd/Board.nsf/files/9FKLC354CD2A/$file/SR1-27-14I%20-Upgrade%20Direct%20Internet%20Access%20Service.pdf

Approval to Purchase Apple Training
Another $25,000 for Apple training. The rumor is everyone will need to get Apple certified or lose their job? No certifications were required for supporting Microsoft all these years, but now they will need to be Apple certified.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/smsd/Board.nsf/files/9FN4H771F09D/$file/SR1-27-14C-Purchase%20of%20Apple%20Training%20(2).pdf

Approval to Purchase Network Switches and Internet Router
Another $400,000 to support the network
http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/smsd/Board.nsf/files/9FNUJP69C12B/$file/SR1-27-14J%20-%20Purchase%20of%20Network%20Switches%20and%20Internet%20Router.pdf

Look under 'O. Action - Business Services' for these items.

This link is to the Apple proposal.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/smsd/Board.nsf/files/9FKNB95A3D3D/$file/SR1-27-14G-Purchase%20of%20Apple%20Computers.pdf

This "first" phase is for $20,000,000 dollars and does not cover all students.

This is the itemized break down.
http://www.boarddocs.com/ks/smsd/Board.nsf/files/9FMM8W572608/$file/Shawnee%20Mission%201-22-14%20FINAL-No-APP.pdf

Add it all up and you start to wonder where these funds will come from? Did the state of Kansas increase funding for education all of a sudden? How soon before a new bond issue is on the ballot? Since no one in the media has covered this, there will be no opposition at the meeting Monday evening.

What are the long term goals? The Kansas City, Kansas school district has been on a 1-to-1 plan for since 2007. Have their test scores risen? How many of their schools have made AYP?
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