While staff and students have been away from school, things have been moving in full swing at the various district buildings this summer.
Brett Linn, technology director for USD 257, has been busy updating technology capabilities throughout the district.
“We spent time getting our network ready to handle an increase in wireless devices,” Linn said. “The eventual goal is to go wireless district-wide.”
A shortage of funds has allowed implementation of the wireless system currently only to Jefferson Elementary School. A grant for the SAFE BASE program allowed the purchase of 40 iPads, which were coupled with devices formerly used at the high school.
“Elementary kids are going to be using iPads in the classroom,” Brian Pekarek, USD 257 superintendent said. “The high school will be getting some laptops this year that were in the elementary schools last year.”
“We want the elementary kids to be able to get full use out of the iPads so we wanted to make sure the wireless network was ready for them,” added Linn.
The district-wide network is something that Linn hopes will happen in the near future. The timing will depend on grants which the district has applied for and is waiting to hear back on.
Not only is the reach of the wireless network going to expand but also its capacity. According to Linn, an upgrade in the configuration of the network will allow it to go from handling a few hundred connected wireless devices to, “hundreds of thousands.”
This fact, combined with the streamlining of domains into one domain for the district will allow for smoother transition from building to building.
“In the past we’ve had it set up where people with each building couldn’t wirelessly access their accounts if they went to a different building than the one they work in,” Linn said. “Now with just one login needed, when we have meetings or special events in other buildings, anyone in attendance will be able to access anything they need.”
While Linn has been busy on the technology front, Scott Stanley, director of transportation for USD 257, has focused on infrastructure.
“We’ve been busy doing a lot of the things that many people might not notice immediately,” Stanley said. “We’ve been putting in new roofing at Iola Middle School, new floors and a restroom remodel in the science building at the high school and then a lot of exterior brickwork as well.”
One of the things that students and staff will notice is a newly refinished and resurfaced floor in the IMS gym. The new surface is something that Stanley said was a good investment for the district.
“We needed to do it now so that all we had to do was resurface it,” Stanley said. “If we didn’t do it now it would cost us a more extensive replacement later.”
While the summer has been useful for both, their attention is quickly turning around to the coming school year.
“We managed to get a lot done but once the year starts it’s going to be a lot of running around putting out the small fires that always pop up,” Linn said. “It’ll be another interesting year, with a lot of challenges that we’ll be ready for.”
