District Administration - January 2010 - (Page 36)

Cutting Technology Costs with Refurbished Computers ﬁtting upwards of 1,000 computers a day,” he says. “I was impressed with the care and attention everybody gave to ensure quality of service and customer satisfaction.” Last October, CDI sponsored a “Free Technology Waste Disposal Day” in conjunction with RISTE to give all public districts in the state, as well as private schools, a way to get rid of computers they no longer needed. CDI gave a free notebook computer to the Northern Rhode Island Cooperative (NRIC), a public entity that provides special education primarily to its member districts in the state, which turned in more than 5,000 pounds, the heaviest load of recycled equipment. CDI planned to break down the 15,000 pounds of technology waste that were turned in, then recycle or reuse the parts, resulting in what it said would be a “close to 0 percent” landﬁll rate. Refurbished Textbooks, Too SECONDHAND COMPUTERS ARE NOT THE only preowned learning tools that districts are buying to save money. Many also are buying refurbished textbooks. In Arizona, state lawmakers are looking to cut $133 million from K12 public schools this month, while already facing a huge shortfall in the current state budget, according to Public News Service. To reduce waste and the cost of surplus books, districts within Maricopa County are partnering with Budgetext on a recycling program. Previously, each school district within Maricopa County handled used books in separate ways. Many of them used an independent contractor to dispose of obsolete textbooks or extended separate “take all” bids for their books to major buyback companies. Under the new partnership, Budgetext representatives will visit each school to evaluate the books and purchase the salvageable ones. The partnership will generate funds for each school through selling back preowned textbooks and will clear storage spaces, says Park Anders, Budgetext CEO. The Metropolitan Nashville (Tenn.) Public Schools saved more than $1 million in the 2008-2009 school year by purchasing refurbished textbooks, says Christy Smith, an administrative assistant in the district’s textbook department. “We usually order 50,000 used books every year,” in addition to 70,000 new ones, she says. Nashville buys its refurbished books from the Georgia Book Company, which cleans and inspects all books before shipping them out, according to Tori Phillips, its owner and operator. “They really send us decent books,” says Smith. “If something gets by that isn’t up to par, I’ll call them and they’ll take it back and replace it for us.” Georgia Book Company gives explanations about the quality of books on its Web site. A “very good” nonﬁction book for $4.01 has “some cover and corner wear,” according to its description. A “ﬁne” book, for $10.01, is available in “clean and crisp like new condition” with a “dust jacket not torn,” although it “may have minimal shelf wear.” In the St. Vrain Valley (Colo.) School District, textbook clerk Diane West says the district buys books from Follett Educational Services (FES), which has a wide-ranging preowned textbook inventory. FES puts its books through “a stringent quality control review and thorough reconditioning process,” says Leanne Perry, the company’s marketing director. FES reviews books from cover to cover, looking for ﬂaws and markings that can be corrected. Books with excessive markings and ripped or torn pages are rejected. FES purchases its books mostly from schools or districts that no longer need them. They receive cash or credit in exchange. FES then reconditions the books for future use at another school or district. St. Vrain Valley saved $73,494 by purchasing 2,244 books from FES between October 2008 and October 2009, West says. Preowned books are her “ﬁrst priority,” and she buys new ones only when she has to, such as when the board of education approves a newly published book and used copies are not yet available. Otherwise, she says, FES “always has pretty much what I need.” The district’s 50 schools tell her each spring what they need for the fall, and West gives the order to FES, which ships the texts to the schools for free. In all the books she has bought from FES, West says, only one was unacceptable in quality, and FES immediately replaced it. Saving Time Regional and state organizations that include districts in other parts of the country have similar arrangements with CDI. rough e Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS) and the Texas-Arkansas Purchasing System (TAPS), operating jointly as TIPS/TAPS, districts and schools can buy refurbished brand-name computers from CDI at discount prices that TIPS/ TAPS, acting as a purchasing agent, negotiated with the company. In addition to Texas and Arkansas, the program is open to all districts and schools in Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Private schools, colleges and universities, cities and counties, and other government entities in those states also can participate. While saving money, districts that buy used computers from CDI and other vendors through TIPS/TAPS also save time, because “they don’t have to write specs for what they need and put out bids and then review the proposals,” says Kim ompson, who coordinates the cooperative for TIPS. “All that has already been done for them. All they have to do is contact the vendor and tell them what they want through the contract. en they send their purchase 36 January 2010 order to the vendor and three or four days later, they have their computers.” e Nebraska Council of School Administrators also has partnered with CDI to provide low-cost refurbished computers to districts in the state. In addition to saving money, “we’re trying to help our schools launch one-to-one initiatives if possible,” says Michael Dulaney, the council’s executive director. “When you think of every student having a computer, you think that’s basically for larger districts. But small districts with tight budgets also are looking at it. at would be a good District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - January 2010

District Administration - January 2010
Table of Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Health Update
Curriculum Update
District Profile
The Feud Over Food
Discipline Gets the Boot
Cutting Technology Costs with Refurbished Computers
Will Pensions Bankrupt Your District?
Tech Disruptions
Crisis Response
Supervisor’s Opinion
Product Focus
New Products
Online Edge

District Administration - January 2010