PTO Donations Aid in Advancing Brighton Schools' Technology

Many people are still waiting to get their hands on an iPad, but if your child attends in Brighton, their chance to use one could come as soon as next school year.

That's because the school has been provided with 24 iPads and money for apps and wireless Internet access, thanks to a $13,260 donation by the Spencer PTA. The Brighton Board of Education approved the donation at its June 13

The Spencer PTA raised most of its money through its annual auction, a one night event with both live and silent auction items contributed by local businesses. This year, the focus was specifically on raising money for the iPads. 

"The purpose is to supplement what they're already teaching, there's certain things at each grade level, there's applications that can support and supplement," said Jennifer Castiglione, the co-president of the Spencer PTA. "In addition, it's a wonderful way to learn another technology and integrate it in a classroom."

When it comes to integrating more technology in Brighton classrooms, both administrators and parents agree that the school district needs to move forward in that area.

"They're significantly behind with technology, they're not utilizing a lot of the technology that is available," Castiglione said. "They're trying, but with the funding cuts, the money is just not there."

Thanks to contributions from the PTOs, however, the school district has been able to advance by sampling new kinds of technology at no cost to the district.

"It's a low-risk way of investigating technology," Debbie Noetzel, co-president of the Brighton High School PTO, said about PTO donating toward technology projects. "Trying to find out what the best solutions are without diving in whole-hog."

With Brighton Area Schools trying to close a $4.6 million budget deficit as listed in the budget for the upcoming 2011-2012 fiscal year, it's been tough to find money to invest into technology. Decreasing revenue from both property taxes and state funding over the past few years haven't helped the situation.

"Our greatest need at the high school, structurally, is technology," said Gavin Johnson, the lead principal at . "I think kids know that, I think parents know that. Everybody knows that."

In stepped the BHS PTO, donating $10,000 toward a mobile computer lab of 18 laptops. The PTO collected most of their money at registration day for students at the beginning of the year, where they ask parents to chip in. Noetzel said money is also generated through membership card programs through the local Target and Gordon Foods, which donate money toward the schools every time the customers use the cards if customers opt for that.

The donation was part of a project that also fixed two existing desktop computer labs, funded also by leftover money budgeted by the school. Johnson called it a cheap man's way to try out new technology, which he said could help determine what to ask for in the event of a technology bond being passed in the future.

A bond has to be voted on by Brighton residents to set a millage rate to pay off the bond, and what is being bought has to be specifically spelled out, which makes knowing what to get so much more important.

"Everybody knows that technology can be a very useful, helpful tool," Noetzel said. "It's just, what technology is right? What technology is going to enhance and expand the learning environment of our kids?"

In addition to the iPads and the mobile computer lab, the school district welcomed other donations this year, including five Mobiview interactive whiteboard tablets from eInstruction  and more laptops for the BHS media center BHS parents who also work for Hewlett-Packard. 

Johnson already predicts more technology-related PTO donations in the future, and the PTOs already seem to be moving that way.

"In the past, we've spent a lot of money, we've looked at doing landscaping and stuff like that ... but it's not as critical right now as trying to enhance the tools that are available for education in the classroom," Noetzel said.

"There's so many really cool things out there related to technology that Spencer doesn't have that we've looked into possibly purchasing," Castiglione said. "There's smartboards, digital document cameras...that Brighton doesn't have." 

Despite mentions by PTO members and administrators of a technology bond, Brighton Superintendent Gregory Gray hasn't made it clear when the possibility of that is, saying he doesn't think he sees one happening for another six months to a year. In the meantime, the district may have to continue to lean on the fundraising of its PTOs.

"That technology purchase definitely wouldn't have been done without PTO help," Johnson said about the mobile computer lab for the high school.