Automating Staff Development

A new solution to an old problem

School districts throughout the country are facing immense budgetary pressures. State legislatures across the country have trimmed $11 billion from education budgets in the past year, according to the National Education Association.

This sizable reduction in funding is occurring at a time when teacher shortages and accountability through testing are creating greater challenges for districts. Superintendents and school boards are often scrambling to balance budgets - an often daunting task.

Technology is increasingly becoming the answer to many districts' budget woes. Progressive school districts have long realized that technology was a means to gain efficiency while also increasing the capability of existing staff and resources.

Collier County Public Schools in Florida is often noted as a progressive district with respect to technology. In 1999, the district took a major leap forward by automating their staff development registration and tracking process. The result: huge savings in time, improved tracking of data, and massive savings in printing costs. With the introduction of an online course catalog, Collier was able to completely eliminate their printed catalog.

In addition, Collier was able to set-up and track a new teacher development program. The program gives district administrators and building principals the capability to quickly determine which new teachers are completing their training requirements in a timely fashion. The results on new teacher effectiveness are typically immense with these types of programs.

Collier uses a staff development automation system from eSchool Solutions called Electronic Registrar Online (ERO). eSchool Solutions, best known for their industry-leading substitute scheduling system (SEMS), developed their automated staff development product eight years ago in response to customer requests.

The cost savings of these types of systems are potentially large. "Often the result in implementing a technology solution - provided it works in the manner the district needs - is that the school district is able to save 2 to 3 times the initial investment and improve the way they do things at the same time" says Scott Wallace, Senior Vice President, eSchool Solutions.

Educators echo these sentiments. Dr. Delores Goughnour of Mesa Public Schools comments, "(ERO) has been a most time and cost savings innovation for our department." Many districts facing budgetary pressure have made the decision to defer non-critical technology investments except for those that can exhibit a clear return on investment. A good rule of thumb seems to be that if a product or system can pay for itself in less than one year, it should be considered. Period. If it does not, it should go on the "B" list.

When asked about their technology solutions, Mr. Wallace supported these statements. "We expect our clients to allocate money only to projects that have a clear value to them. Many times this comes down to return on investment. School boards invariably ask us: What savings will we generate from this implementation and over what time frame? With ERO, it easy for everyone to understand the value delivered."

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