want to learn because I want to make sure that I understand what’s happening and what we’re doing,’ because I think that’s the only way that I can do the best in my job,” she said. “As a result, I know the questions I need to ask … and so, I can help troubleshoot a bunch of those things pretty quickly.” That hands-on approach also helps to build rapport with the
department’s mechanics, drivers and other staff. Grandy predicted supply chain issues and core inflation running at its hottest level in 40 years will continue driving up “everybody’s costs and we have to account for that” as part of de- termining future life-cycle costs. Caster said Frisco ISD has been seeing parts and service prices soar 30 to 35 percent in recent months. Grandy offered a cautionary note to districts that choose or are encouraged to stretch out technology financing. “Some vendors will do a five-year contract. In my opinion, that’s never a good thing. With technology changing every six months, you want to make sure you’re not too far behind,” Grandy said. “It’s also possible to go year by year, but there’s not a return on investment on cost for that. A three-year contract usually helps a customer get the use out of the technology … and if they want to grow into technology, they have that capability.” Grandy observed that many districts have transitioned to
cloud-based data storage “because they’ve realized that the cost is too high to continue to store [on servers] in-house.” Districts that are new to adding technology, he said, should follow a “crawl, walk, run approach.” Behr has firsthand experience with supply chain snafus. “We
ordered our RFID badges in April. Our teachers and staff were saying, ‘Where are they?’” she relayed. “We just got half of them [in late September.] “It’s frustrating but I know the company is just as frustrated.” The result: Hays CISD was forced to limit badge distribution to
several campuses and prioritize bus-riding students. When it comes to making the right choices about the technol-
ogy itself, Frisco ISD’s Castor recommended taking a short-term and long-term view. “We definitely have to do our homework. That involves not just talking with various vendors but also collaborating with other school districts, asking the correct and pertinent questions about cost, how long their equipment lasted, the benefit of each piece of technology, and the challenges that they’ve faced,” he said. “Make sure that the warranty is a good warranty. That’s an important piece of it as well.” Frisco ISD will soon pilot a student tracking platform for two elementary schools that allows students to use RFID cards to scan on and off the bus. Parents will eventually be allowed to follow those movements. The utility and value of the RFID cards was heightened by allowing them to be also used in lunch lines, libraries, and other school areas. “By working with people outside the transportation department
… we were able to think with a districtwide perspective to benefit other departments and our entire district,” Castor said.
www.stnonline.com 39
Driving Force for Upgrading Camera Systems:
41% Increasing camera coverage (with more /different cameras)
31% Reliability concerns 12% Other (replace cameras with new buses, cost and money to pay for the equipment, new/better technology, etc.)
6% Customer service of current vendor
5% Wi-Fi transfer 3% Upgrades available (ex. Cybersecurity) 1% Ease of maintenance
1% Warranty (Out of 88 responses.)
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