Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 11, 1994                   TAG: 9401200303
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: PULASKI                                 LENGTH: Medium

SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY ON PULASKI AGENDA

Both meetings will be held at the School Board office. The board generally holds its regular meeting in the Board of Supervisors room at the county Administration Building, but the annual membership meeting of Pulaskians Encouraging Progress will be held in that room at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The board staff has been working for months on developing a plan addressing the technology needs of the division. The plan will cite broad future goals with the understanding that technology itself is changing constantly and the plan will have to be periodically updated to accommodate this.

One of the key elements of the plan, as with most other educational needs, depends on money.

Both hardware and software are expensive, but so are the networking, wiring, climate control and staff training that will be necessary to carry out the plan. Much of what the school system is able to accomplish in technology will depend on future funding levels.

Because of these costs, the staff is looking at ways other than operational budgets to make money available. The School Board will have to consider, with the Board of Supervisors, such possibilities as a bond referendum, lease or lease-purchase agreements and others.

In other business Thursday night, the School Board will consider whether to advertise for proposals from companies offering energy management systems, hear from Pulaski County High School Principal Thomas DeBolt on how block scheduling has been working this year, and update the school calendar to take into account the number of school days missed because of snow.