THE SITUATION
Johnstown-Monroe School District was undergoing large-scale building projects in their district to accommodate the growing number of students in the community. This project required coordination between multiple internal and external entities, including district administration, construction, and local ISP. The district was limited in that they only had two individuals in their technology department. With a technology partner, the district was given an entire team to develop a plan, which they leveraged to address issues more effectively and plan efficiently.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Johnstown-Monroe is a growth-minded district, and they were aware of the challenges that could arise as their population continued to increase. Extensive building projects require an engaged IT department, and with the limited collaboration between this department and administration, there was the perfect opportunity for the district to align with the ShareOhio ecosystem of DataServ and Northern Buckeye Education Council (NBEC). ShareOhio’s philosophy focuses on people, process, and technology, which are integral facets of a growing district.
SOLUTION
- Completed a comprehensive Information Systems and Technology Assessment
- Created documentation database of processes and procedures
- Developed a five-year rolling forecast for IT spend to improve budget predictability
- Refocused technology implementation on how it can best support the curriculum
- Delivers daily Technology as a Utility Services to meet growing needs
- Increases IT visibility for administration and board of educators
- Continues to engage in ongoing strategic planning activities
PROCESS
EMBED IN CULTURE
The focus on visibility with the building projects translated into the overall district strategy. IT spend is more predictable, strategic, and technology choices are curriculum-centric.
CREATE URGENCY
A growing district and new building projects required greater visibility into IT planning and spend.
CREATE A COALITION
This process of discovery through the assessment empowered both administration and the board of education.
VISION & STRATEGY
The assessment process helped develop a consolidated plan for the building projects as well as strategies for future IT spend.
EMPOWER ACTION
The assessment process outlined a roadmap for cost-neutral solutions that would increase visibility and lead to more predictive spending.
COMMUNICATE THE VISION
The recommendations from the assessment assisted with current projects as well as future initiatives to increase IT visibility and improve budget certainty.
DRIVE CHANGE
NBEC and DataServ’s assistance in strategically planning the IT portion of these projects helped establish trust between both partners.
GET QUICK WINS
The first initiative focused on building projects. The DataServ and NBEC team consolidated hardware solutions and brought in IT resources to assist in this extensive project.
SERVICES
INFRASTRUCTURE
Deploy and manage server infrastructure and consolidation, network as a service, district application and operating system upgrades, and Chromebook implementation.
SECURITY
Engineered video surveillance consolidation and access control systems in multiple locations.
OPERATION
On-site and remote resources that deliver end-user help desk support and automated ticketing system with real-time reporting to drive data-driven decisions.
RESULTS
The alignment between Johnstown-Monroe and ShareOhio has continued successfully. This partnership has helped the district increase IT visibility through creating documentation, forming a five-year rolling forecast for IT spend, and focusing on how technology can support the curriculum. DataServ and NBEC provide on-site resources and managed services to help the IT department run more efficiently while staying cost-neutral with their previous operation. As Johnstown- Monroe continues to concentrate on growth, DataServ and NBEC’s assessment roadmap, data-driven strategic planning, and shared philosophy acts as a guide for an efficient district focused on student success.
“DataServ and NBEC have a complete understanding of our technology systems which makes for quicker solutions and increased value for our school district.”
Dale L. Dickson, Superintendent