[K12OSN] Why Linux?

[David Trask]

"Support list for opensource software in schools." <k12osn at redhat.com> on
Thursday, November 04, 2004 at 5:11 PM +0000 wrote:
>Oh, David.  How sheltered you are.  You are lucky that the school board 
>allows you to make such decisions.  I have not been allowed that 
>luxury.  Many school boards around here, especially in the smaller 
>schools, want their hand in everything.  A few years ago, a school board 
>member created his own technology committee because he was not happy 
>with what I was doing here.  School boards that set policy and then get 
>out of the way are not the norm.  (That is how it should be, but that is 
>not the way it is in most cases.)

It must be a Maine thing....because nearly every school system I know
about around here...keeps their hands off the IT stuff for the most part. 
Maine people are notorious for "hating" micromanagement.  They don't
tolerate it in business and as a result in education either.  I had a
"micro-manager" for a principal when I worked at another High School in
the 90's.....she lasted about 2 years and then the school board gave her a
vote of "no confidence" and canned her because the staff had enough of her
"micromanagement".  Sometimes in tough budget years my school board will
nickel and dime things a bit, but they don't tell me what to buy....just
how much I have to buy it with.  There are a lot of schools in Maine using
K12LTSP....most of them didn't say "I'd like to install Linux thin-clients
in classrooms"....they said...."I'd like to put more computers in
classrooms so kids can have more access to technology"....when asked how
much it would cost....they said "for the most part...nothing as we'll be
recycling some older machines and using some donations".  And then they
just did it.  Things worked and everyone is happy.  Someone needs to stand
up to the school board and let them know that those are not their
decisions to make.....get the taxpayers involved in your cause (I know
it's easier said than done, but it works...I've done it on other issues)

David N. Trask
Technology Teacher/Coordinator
Vassalboro Community School
dtrask at vcs.u52.k12.me.us
(207)923-3100