One of the major barriers to technology's use in schools k-12 has been financing. It is extremely important that school districts have a funding plan as part of the technology plan. It is very important for the funding plan to first identify IT costs. Any budgeting exercise, whether corporate or school, requires that IT costs are identified. This is not an easy task. How do schools figure out what to include? Should they include tech support staff salaries? Curriculum related software? Voice/ Data telephone networks? One of the ideas of an effective technology plan is to include a cross-team of people. This is one reason why this is so important. You need to have the teachers, technology area, and budget area, all included in developing the technology plan. They can assist in this area.

After the costs are identified, school districts should benchmark against other school districts. This will help to ensure that all costs get included. Another important part of the funding plan is that the plan should engage in technological triage (1) what is mission-critical and must be done immediately. (2) What should be done in one to three years, (3) what is long-term. Again, it is important to have the right cross-team of stakeholders, so that the team can agree on what is mission critical and what is long term.

Advantages of planning and budgeting

Planning and budgeting for technology are critical, because they help clarify goals and strategies for the school district, make assumptions explicit, and build consensus. One popular approach is life-cycle budgeting. Life cycles are the useful financial life of an item. For example, the useful financial life for hardware is 2-5 years. By using this, a school knows that every two-five years, they can plan on replacing/upgrading hardware. The life-cycle approach has several advantages:

· Gives an understanding of the true costs of technology and support.

· Explains the expectations between central and departmental responsibilities.

· Defines expectations for technology and strategies.

· Better educates teachers, departments, and administrators.

The life-cycle approach is just one approach to budgeting. Budgeting bridges the gap between the strategic plans of the school and technological side. " Budgets are the link between the plans and actions. They translate strategic plans into the financial resources necessary to implement the plan."

Balancing Expenditures

It is very important that a funding plan balance expenditures. It is very easy to overspend on hardware and leave too little for staff development, instructional materials, and technology support. It is important to develop a financial plan that includes a realistic amortization model for infrastructure, maintenance, and support services. One rule of thumb is 50% should be spenton hardware, 20% for instructional software and media, and 30% for training and teacher support.

Funding Stream

After all the costs have been identified, the next step is to match the costs with an appropriate funding stream. It is important to match the expenditures in any given year with anticipated revenue to cover those expenses. By laying out a technological plan, a school district can see when they will need what funds. There are several sources of reoccurring and nonrecurring technology funding.

Sources of Reoccurring Technology Funding Include:

· Local and State Taxes

· School and Department General Operating Fund Budgets

· Capital outlay for equipment for new sites and wings

· Legislative fund set asides (Eisenhower, Title 1)

· Instructional textbook funds - utilized for educational software

· School District maintenance and repair contracts

As budgets, on both the state and federal level, have shrunk, school districts have been forced to find alternative ways to fund their technology plans. A wide range of nongovernmental projects, often involving partnerships, are seeking to address every aspect of educational technology.

Sources of these Non-Reoccurring technology funding include:

· Competitive grant and special fund opportunities - Particularly as they relate to distance learning, networking, training/staff development, and educational technology - (ie Challenge Literacy Grant)

· Business and Community Partnerships - Provide equipment and technical support and training. Examples of this include IBM, NASA, Pacific Bell, Microsoft. Since there has never been enough funding by federal and local governments, businesses have stepped up to the plate, to help in this area. This has been quite successful in many communities. In this case, the company often will either offer very deep discounts on products sold or donate the equipment to school systems.

· University, state and private agencies.

· Parent and Business Partner donations

In conclusion, it is very important for any funding plan to include a specific budgeting detailing specific IT costs, including what is imperative, short-term, and long-term. The next step is to make sure that the plan balances expenditures. The plan must include more than just hardware. Ongoing-maintenance, technical support for teachers, and instructional guides all must be included. The final step step is to make the expenditures over time with a funding stream. Given today's budget conscious society, the most effective school districts are finding alternative ways to find the high cost of technology. This includes business partnering, community donations, and special grants. This has been very effective in many communities.

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