Linux in Exeter Public Schools?

[Randy Edwards]

WmCCornell at aol.com wrote:
> There have been several iterations of equipment donations to the Rye 
> Public School System($$), but think the equipment piece is just the tip 
> of the iceberg.

    That's true.  When I was a district technology coordinator I would 
routinely dismiss concerns about hardware; though people looked at me like I 
was from Mars, I could get old hardware from anywhere (Windows shops are 
always upgrading and looking to dump/donate their old stuff).  It was the time 
to set up and configure things (not to mention teaching teachers to use it) 
that I was lacking.

> As best as I can surmise these equipment donations have 
> not been matched with ongoing administrative and maintenance 
> support($$$$) or an organized program of software and hardware 
> upgrades($$$$).  Now the town is struggling to find a way to make the 
> program go without spending a huge amount of money.

    That's the key.  Schools often radically underfund IT support.  One can 
eliminate time costs a great deal by ghosting, using terminal servers, smart 
administration and such.  But it still boils down to you need some bodies. 
And given the diverse range of tasks those bodies need to do -- train teachers 
and administrators, help teachers with classroom integration issues, simple 
break/fix work, count licenses, deal with grant paperwork, time to serve on 
committees, etc. -- it's tough to get down to brass tacks and to build an 
infrastructure.

    Almost more importantly, you also need bodies that know IT.  Many schools 
have in place people who have been promoted up through the system and those 
people have a view of computers from a single-computer/small LAN mindset. 
When confronted with real IT issues those folks tend to outsource as much as 
possible and work to carve a niche doing paperwork and never getting their 
hands dirty.  In today's schools what is needed are real IT pros who 
understand how to roll systems out and to use a combination 
cookie-cutter/hammer approach to supporting systems.

    Does the Rye district have a technology coordinator?  I don't know the 
details of the budget, but my first impulse would be that I'd want to examine 
where money is being spent: hardware, software, support/maintenance, personnel?

> So, any tools, free hardware, free maintenance (...ha ha) or free 
> software would be greatly appreciated.

     There are lots of free solutions out there for everything under the sun. 
  But without knowing details -- what's in place, what's needed, and what is 
planned -- I can't get specific.

> Is there some kind of loose knit gray market group out there who I can 
> talk to?

    Gray market hardware or software?  For support?  I'm not sure what you mean.

    There is a group, NH Society for Technology in Education (www.nhste.org), 
but I've found they're heavily biased towards Windows and larger districts 
(read: who have money), and aren't really focused on cheap, low-maintenance, 
and innovative solutions -- and that is what districts all over the state need.

    I've given a lot of thought to the idea of creating some canned 
"solutions" for schools: integrated web sites, ready-to-go automated library 
systems, proxy server/filtering/firewall boxes, etc.  This could all be done 
with free software and arranged as simple "drop-in" additions to a school's 
network.

    I've gone so far as to pitch some of these ideas to schools on a 
consulting basis, but haven't had any takers.  To me, if the state had its act 
together, they'd fund a project like this for a year and a person or two could 
create and implement dozens of nifty solutions -- that would be all it'd take 
to get it rolling.  I've toyed with this but every time I play with the idea 
seriously I remind myself I have to feed a wife and kid and pay a mortgage, 
and that snaps me back to reality. :-(

-- 
  Regards, | <redwards at golgotha.net>   | GNU/Linux: superior tools
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  Randy    |                           |       to use them.