District Administration - April 2009 - (Page 31)

TECHNOLOGY Keeping Track of Technology The latest IT asset management programs can do more than just inventory. BY KURT O. DYRLI N 2005, CYNTHIA SHIEH, chief ﬁnancial oﬃcer of the Los Gatos (Calif.) Union School District, noticed a serious problem: More than $100,000 of technology equipment had gone missing that year. Her report to the superintendent, Suzanne Boxer-Gassman, at the time led to a state investigation of the district the following year, which found that equipment with a total value of some $300,000 had been disappearing over the previous 10 years. e investigation by the state Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team found that the “inventory shrinkage or loss of district assets were due to a combination of suspected thefts, administrative errors and miscommunication,” according to the report summary. D.J. LaForge, www.DistrictAdministration.com I a district technology staﬀ member, was arrested and charged with theft. LaForge, who had no criminal record, was sentenced in January to jail time, ﬁnes and community service for stealing equipment and selling it to a local reseller. New Superintendent Richard Whitmore, appointed in May 2008, immediately assured the community his administration would do better. “I recognize the important ﬁduciary duties I have assumed and pledge to manage the district’s ﬁnancial and physical assets to assure the longterm health of the district,” he stated in his introductory letter. Epidemic of Asset Loss Such losses are not isolated incidents, though they are not necessarily the result of outright theft. A lack of consistent and accurate auditing and record keeping of district IT equipment can lead to confusion between administrative departments, including redundant purchases, transferred equipment being mislabeled as stolen, computers and other equipment simply being lost, or a variety of other scenarios. A recent study by Quality Education Data and Follett Software found that total district asset losses approach $15 billion annually, almost 4 percent of total K12 spending, nearly $2 billion of it attributed to the loss of or damage to computers and software. Andrew Wright, director of technology for the Brighton (Colo.) School District 27J, recalls his growing district’s recent inability to keep up with a continuing inﬂux of comApril 2009 31 http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - April 2009

District Administration - April 2009
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Assessment
Conversations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Education’s Shot in the Arm
Lessons Learned from Columbine’s 10th Anniversary
An Interview with Columbine’s Superintendent, Cynthia Stevenson
Keeping Track of Technology
Classroom Technology Integration
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
Professional Opinion
Research Center
New Products
Product Focus
Online Edge

District Administration - April 2009