School systems keep up with high-tech communications

Improvements in technology in local school districts also mean improved communication, and in some cases, new capabilities.

The Cape Girardeau School District is in the process of installing a fiber-based, wide-area network, also called a WAN system.

The district currently has a high-speed telephone line connecting each of its 10 schools. The line handles everything from the attendance counts and e-mail to the lunch payment system and online curriculum.

"It's basically the lifeline to our schools," said Brian Hall, technology coordinator for the district. "But right now it's so saturated we can't put any more data across it."

Scott City School District currently uses a local area network because the district's three schools are all located on one campus, said technology coordinator Martha Nothdurft.

The backbone of the network is fiber lines going from the district's servers to the main wiring cabinets.

"It's great because network traffic flows faster with less collisions," Nothdurft said.

All 12 buildings in the Jackson School District are connected via a Wide Area Network, said technology director Rob Goyette.

Goyette said seven of the 12 buildings are connected through fiber optic cable; the other five buildings are connected through wireless radio towers, which are slower than fiber optic.

As will be the case when Cape Girardeau's new network is installed, the WAN system in Jackson allows schools to access e-mail, Internet and student information such as grades and lunch balances using the School Information System (SIS) program.

Cape Girardeau's new network is basically like getting a larger pipe so more information can flow through. Such a system costs $8,000 to install, but Hall said the district will only pay 31 percent of that with a discount through the Universal Service Fund.

The fund, which is operated through the Federal Communications Commission, uses a tax from telephone bills to help fund projects for public schools and libraries. According to Hall, the district's cost will be offset by the reduction in servers needed for communications.

Overall, school officials estimate that the project will cost an additional $1,500 to $4,500 a year, much of which will be absorbed by federal subsidies.

Problems with the old system are widespread, Hall said. The program that allows the district's maintenance department to monitor the heating and air conditioning systems in schools often crashes because of the overburdened line. During certain times of the day, computers throughout the district operate very slowly.

One of the biggest benefits of the new system will take place in the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center's distance learning center.

According to CTC director Rich Payne, the interactive television, or ITV, in the learning center cannot be fully utilized because there isn't enough space on the current networking system.

"When we do use the ITV, it's not clear and it's very slow," Payne said. "It's not as efficient as it could be, but I think the new system will fix that."

With the ITV in full working order, the CTC will be able to offer satellite classes from colleges such as Mineral Area Community College in Farmington, Mo.

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, ext. 128