Technical Services ESP — 
Building a Quality Workforce

The Technology Explosion

 In January 2001, the Maine Township High School District 207 in Illinois was beginning a reported $7 million dollar technology acquisition project. As part of the project, the Maine West High School in Des Plaines was to start a course that would familiarize students with Microsoft software and prepare them to earn the company's certification to work on its computer networking products. The district also began a course of study focusing on Web page design and its uses for business. This was a huge project for this district of approximately 6,450 students.

As part of the multi-year plan, the district hired three new technology coordinators who joined three existing technology support employees. At the time, the district's Technology Director, Jim Flanaghan, said, "The new employees would make sure the technology is available to teachers and students whenever they need it." District officials said hiring the technology coordinators was necessary to maintain the district's fast-growing computer system, including hardware and software for classroom use. (Source: Des Plaines Daily Herald, Jan. 12, 2001)

This is just one small example of the technology explosion in public schools over the past 15 years. For the Des Plaines district, the emphasis in 2001 was student-driven, but the use, application, and increasing sophistication of technology in schools goes beyond student use of computers and software. Public schools now have "smart phone systems" that require huge amounts of attention, expertise, and monitoring. All department inventory and ordering are maintained by computer programs and networks. All tracking of public health issues and information and resource acquisition are computer networked among a vast array of agencies and associations, and involve complex internet activity. Food Service in every school is now tracked, ordered, and maintained by computers. Attendance, student testing and student records of all kinds is computer maintained. The huge advances and demands of school security and safety are met and maintained by electronic monitoring and computers. Complex emergency systems are now linked to local and state law enforcement and emergency services.

School finance, budgets, supplies, inventories, and personnel records are all maintained by computer records. All student media centers and audio-visual equipment depend on computer hardware and software. The increase in distance learning and videoconferencing has created a whole new area of technology and need for expertise.

Further, it is important to remember that with every new student testing program mandated by the state or federal government, a whole new software or application program may be needed, and then the data must be stored, maintained, and categorized. Once the data is acquired, it also then must be made available to the appropriate agency. The scope of networking and the array of information that is collected, categorized, inputted, rolled-over, backed-up, maintained, dispersed, and warehoused is staggering.

Often the challenge is not the software. Technical Services ESP must be trained and prepared to fix, alter, adjust and generally patch together a great deal of hardware that may or may not be compatible, expandable or portable. Technical Services ESP sometimes feel that "magic" plays a large role in their daily success.

September 11th and the school shootings in Columbine, Colorado, and other school districts around the country have caused surveillance equipment in schools to crop up like mushrooms. All this advanced equipment must be used correctly, maintained carefully, and repaired when necessary. This equipment can include video and/or audio, scanners and metal detectors, identification devices, imaging devices and cameras. The proper use of all these devices is just the beginning for Technical Services ESP. They must then categorize and store the information the devices generate.

Although Technical Services ESP are generally not responsible for the content of the information with which they come in contact while maintaining hardware and software, they still must be diligent regarding the confidentiality of that data. Handling student and family data confidentially, appropriately, ethically, and legally requires attention and skill. Appropriate guidelines must be developed and implemented by administrations in order to protect the individual student, staff person, parent, and also protect the Technical Services ESP.

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