B.Y.O.T.

While Dr. Steinhauer pitches his technology presentation on "Bring Your Own Technology" and the sports groups plead for more fields, in addition to the multi million dollars being spent for the high school sports facility, here is what Chartiers Valley is doing with their money. They are providing 1,325 laptops to their high school students.  The students will return them upon graduation.

While our school board discusses the pluses and minuses of auxiliary gyms, spends almost two months discussing Blue Devil blue, and sports groups rally for more fields, CV students are enjoying the smell of new computers.  Go Blue!

Update: Chartiers Valley secondary students each to get computer,

The One-to-One laptop initiative came about because of feedback from parents, faculty and administrators during last fall's strategic planning process, which determined that integrating technology would improve student enthusiasm for learning and consequently boost achievement.

In Mt. Lebanon, the school board directors will be getting new laptops, to replace the ones that were supplied in the "Go Paperless" test a year ago. 

Thank goodness for Office Depot

Just days after approving a 3.5% increase or 5.42% when including the additional week of pay (Bill Matthews' calculations on Blog-Lebo) for Dr. Steinhauer, we read this tale of woe.

Mt. Lebanon School District spokeswoman Cissy Bowman said tissues are among the few items elementary school students are asked to bring at the height of the winter cold season; the district provides most other school supplies. Mt. Lebanon students are expected to provide their own backpacks, binders and, for high school students, graphing calculators, which can cost $100 or more, depending on their complexity.
The district's budget for supplies has shrunk year after year, down 2.7 percent in 2011-12 to $1,325,716, said Bowman.
"Our supply budget's gone down; it keeps getting sliced and sliced," she said, but parents haven't been expected to pick up the slack yet. The district has been able to maintain its current system through a favorable contract to buy supplies through Office Depot, Bowman said.

This also follows the Technology Presentation given on Monday evening. See page 15 for "Bring Your Own Technology." 

Are we still excited?  After all, it's for the children.

Read more: As supply costs rise, school districts conserve, look to parents - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_751993.html#ixzz1VWoOkZkd