Troxell-CDI News - 20171128 - Central Square School District partners with CDI to roll out technology upgrades
Central Square Schools making major technology upgrade
District's Smart Schools Plan to get Chromebooks in each students hands
Central Square, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) – Technology upgrades are coming for more schools in New York State thanks to the Smart Schools Investment Plan. Central Square is one of 88 school districts to have their plan okayed in Albany this week. The District will be awarded $1.4 million for classroom technology, which it will use to get each student in the district their own Chromebook to be used at school. "We have a lot of room to be very creative and innovative." Says Iraina Gerchnan, Executive Director of Planning, Development and Technology for the Central Square School District. District Superintendent Tom Colabufo says, "We're not doing technology for the sake of doing technology, it's a tool so we've hired the finest instructional people." Colabufo hired Gerchnan from BOCES specifically for her knowledge of using technology to advance learning in schools.
Freshman Ethan Wells says, "I'm very excited to be able to see what we can be doing more with the Chromebooks." "This is going to be a big launching off point for the district. I think this is going to be just the beginning of what we're going to be able to get into." Says fellow Freshman Ethan Rhinehardt.
The goal is to have Chromebooks deployed district wide by the end of January. In 2014, Governor Cuomo called for New York State to invest $2 billion in its schools through a Smart Schools Bond Act – an initiative that would finance educational technology and infrastructure, providing students access to the latest technology and connectivity needed to succeed and compete in the 21st century economy.
New Yorkers agreed, as the voters authorized the Smart Schools Bond Act that November. Other Central New York School Districts to have Smart Schools Plans okayed include Baldwinsville, North Syracuse, Cato-Meridian, Cazenovia, Tully and DeRuyter.
"Once we put Chromebooks in everybody's hands I think we'll be catching up. After that we want to far exceed everybody in terms of really changing what teaching and learning looks like."
– Iraina Gerchnan, Executive Director of Planning, Development and Technology for the Central Square School District.