A Technology Gem in the High Desert

A rural Arizona district builds a world-class technology program

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Tucked away in the Arizona high desert, the Fort Huachuca military reservation hums with the technology of lasers, wind tunnels, robotics, and virtual reality experiments. But these activities aren't taking place in the electronic-warfare labs of the fort's Army Intelligence Center — they're happening at the local public school district.

Located 70 miles southeast of Tucson — and just 10 miles from the Mexican border — the historic Fort Huachuca was established in 1877 to secure the new frontier and protect settlers against Apache incursions. Today, the Fort Huachuca Accommodation School District is securing new frontiers in technology instead. The K–8 school system has one middle and two elementary schools that serve the 1,300 children of military personnel residing on the post.

The district faces some unique challenges, among them a highly transient student population due to parents' average three-year tour of duty at the post. In addition, the lack of a local tax base means tight funding constraints. But even under these conditions, Fort Huachuca's administrative and technology staff developed an effective approach to technology implementation that has brought national recognition to the district.

NO TECH TO HIGH-TECH
Five years ago, the Fort Huachuca Schools could claim only a single computer lab and a small network of ancient 286-class PCs. The administrative staff, forced to use clunky green-screen terminals, was no better off.

"We found ourselves in a situation where students had more opportunities for working with new technology at home than they did at school," says Carol Kaunzner, who was appointed technology director in 1997 when the district first identified technology as a top priority. Put in charge of bringing the school system into the 21st century, Kaunzner drew on more than two decades of teaching experience, and many years spent teaching computers.

To bring the district's technology up to par, Kaunzner needed to secure funding. Since bond issues were not an option for the district, Kaunzner raised money through successful applications for the E-Rate program, three Technology Literacy Challenge Fund grants, and federal impact aid.

Today the district's three schools — Gen. Myer Elementary School, Col. Johnston Elementary School, and Col. Smith Middle School — each have a 30-station network lab and up-to-date multimedia computers. The district connects to the Internet via a central T1 data line.

Kaunzner says strong administrative support has been crucial to the success of the school system's technology initiative. Fort Huachuca's Superintendent, Guillermo Zamudio, is pleased with the technology staff's efforts.

"The program has not only encouraged students in technology use, but has also created better communication between parents and the school," Zamudio says. The school system's Web site allows parents to peruse school schedules and weather-related closings, read the latest school news, check out the lunch menu for the month, and e-mail teachers with concerns and questions.

THE SCHOOL-TO-WORK CONNECTION
The middle school's vocational technology lab is the district's technology showcase. Here, students receive hands-on learning in such fields as aerodynamics, computer animation, fiber optics, lasers, virtual reality, robotics, computer-aided manufacturing, and desktop publishing. In the process, students learn not just about computers, but also about the relevance of technology in the workplace.

"The creation of the middle school vocational technology lab was a case of having all the right people in the right place at the right time," says Rick Morrison, the computer teacher who was tapped to start the lab.

Careful planning also helped to ensure the program's success. Though Morrison had an engineering background and did not personally require training on the lab equipment, his proposal included provisions for professional training and technical support, in case others became involved. Shortly after the proposal went to bid, Morrison was appointed principal at Col. Johnston Elementary School and Tracy Hale, a career English teacher, took over the lab. With the help of training from the vendor, Hale quickly came up to speed.

"The LabVolt modules allow me to monitor all projects from my computer," Hale says. "I can intercede from my computer and operate a project to help a student with a problem. I can also demonstrate a successful project on computers throughout the class if I feel the other students can benefit from observing it."

SMART PURCHASING
A policy of keeping a close eye on total cost of ownership has guided the Fort Huachuca Schools' technology implementation strategy. In its technology purchasing, the school district is less concerned with the initial costs than with the total cost over the life of the system, says Kaunzner.

A good example of this strategy can be seen in the district's use of wireless network links between school buildings. Rather than pay recurring monthly fees for the use of leased data lines, the district built its internal wide-area network by purchasing and installing microwave wireless equipment. Although the up-front costs were higher than for a wired network, the wireless system provides the district with significant savings over time.

Another key to keeping long-term costs down is to purchase proven technology, Kaunzner says. "I am not interested in getting the latest innovation in technology right when it comes out," she says. "I like to study the track record of a product."

Training can also mean financial savings because it reduces the need for technical support and repairs due to improper use of equipment, Kaunzner points out. Accordingly, every major hardware and software purchase the district puts out to bid includes a provision for training.

A JOB WELL DONE
Good work rarely goes unrewarded. In 2000, Kaunzner won the inaugural Frank Withrow Outstanding Achievement in Education Leadership Award from the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). Under Kaunzner's continued technology leadership, the Fort Huachuca district has plans to further upgrade its wireless system and to expand its computer resources.

This much appears certain: The Fort Huachuca schools will continue to enjoy innovative instructional technology with a long service life, as well as the training and support necessary to keep things running smoothly into the foreseeable future.

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LESSONS LEARNED

 

 

Training

 

• Don't wait until after the technology is in place to implement training.
• Do make training mandatory and tie it to teacher evaluation.

 

 

Purchasing

 

• Do keep a close eye on total cost of ownership.
• Don't purchase unproven hardware and software.

 

 

Networking

 

• Don't pay recurring costs needlessly.
• Do investigate wireless options for your wide-area network.

 

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Fort Huachuca Accommodation school district

	Students 1,300 Demographics     Black 26%   Hispanic 15%   White 53%   Native 1%   Asian 5%		Type of district Rural Number of schools     Elementary 2   Middle School 1 Subsidized lunch   36פ% Student-to-computer ratio   3-to-1		Most significant tech achievement Networking the district four years ago Tech director's tenure Five years in the district

For more information, visit http://www.fthuachuca.k12.az.us/

Kim Folsom is a Tucson-based writer. He is also a credentialed teacher and has taught at the middle-school level.

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