CBTS closes technology gap for schools

School systems are under immense pressure to do more with less. Parents and voters insist administrators demonstrate and document continuous improvements in learning outcomes. And students are forced to master advanced technologies at every level, from elementary school to college to the workplace.

Administrators can work toward closing the technology gap for urban schools and stay competitive, but they are often forced to provide substantial evidence that IT investments will generate a return, both in the classroom and the community.

Confronting legacy systems

When the Dayton Public School District (DPSD) began its search for an experienced, primary IT partner, Information Systems Committee members knew they needed a more comprehensive approach to technology. Stakeholders would closely scrutinize any investments, and committee members wanted to ensure the technology infrastructure and resources would meet ever-increasing demands.

The urban school district had disparate legacy systems, and needed a partner to lead an all-encompassing review of the environment and develop a long-term technology roadmap to support its strategic vision.

The district needed centralized management by a single IT partner to ensure all systems and services would function together securely and reliably. The partner would be responsible for addressing the IT talent gap, including project management and delivery of comprehensive services from help desk, training, and break/fix maintenance to hosted ERP support, setting software standards, application development, and network monitoring and management.

Dayton’s roadmap to technology recovery

Before CBTS consultants began assessing the district’s infrastructure to set priorities, they worked with school leaders to define the technology challenges they needed to overcome:

• User experience. DPSD had to deliver high-capacity, rich user experiences across a vast array of devices, audiences, and technologies.
• DPSD technology needed to address the different security threats faced at each academic level to protect students, staff, and the institution.
• Aging systems. The district wanted to confront limitations of its legacy systems and network infrastructure to improve performance.
• District technology required increased performance and service quality to support both current budget levels and cost reductions over time.
• DPSD needed the ability to scale technology to account for changes in the system when schools open, close, or consolidate.
• Limited IT staff. The Dayton district required expertise beyond in-house IT personnel to design and implement advanced technologies and the latest security strategies.

CBTS recommended a holistic, vendor-neutral approach, with specialized assessments to be performed by CBTS and subcontractor consultants for each IT area of expertise. The CBTS project manager orchestrated the assessments and timeline, and from the collected data, CBTS created a technology plan defining current and future infrastructure needs that align with the district’s strategic plan.

CBTS reins in costs with best-in-class partnerships

By engaging proven, certified experts in each IT discipline, CBTS reined in costs for implementation and ongoing management, dividing work among:

• CBTS: Project management, technical coordination, network management, Novell support, and asset management.
• CDO Technologies, Inc.: Desktop, software implementation, integration services, and training.
• Nu Vision: Telecommunications support.
• Platinum Technologies: Helpdesk support, application development, and desktop rollout.

This arrangement gives DPSD access to highly skilled IT talent and industry best practices to help internal IT staff overcome technology challenges so they can focus on supporting the district’s five strategic goals:

• High-quality education. Acquire the technology teachers, staff, and students need to develop skills for success and ensure a safe and secure environment.
• High-quality faculty and staff. Give teachers the technology to innovate in the classroom and communicate effectively with students, parents, community members, and other staff members.
• Engage parents. Use technology to connect parents and support them as allies in each student’s education and development.
• Community collaborations and partnerships. Build trust and support through secure, stable, and fast technology solutions connecting the district to community members and partners.
• Fiscal responsibility and accountability. Find ways to increase technology performance, reliability, and security while reducing overall costs.

Learn more about the CBTS partnership with DPSD here. Discover more about how CBTS delivers state-of-the-art technology for today’s schools and universities to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of students, parents, faculty members, administrators, and community stakeholders. We’re closing the technology gap for urban schools and ready to explore your education system challenges.

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