District Administration - August 2007 - (Page 30)

SUPERINTENDENT RAYMOND J. FASHANO AdministratorProﬁle Private Sector Technology Experience Applied to a School District By Jennifer Chase Esposito A FTER TEACHING HIGH school biology for 13 years and being a principal in districts in and around Rochester, N.Y., a life change in 1993 moved Raymond J. Fashano from the comfort of a school to the thrill of the sales team of Dynacam, a company that helped clients implement technology into their business. Fashano’s clients were largely school districts wanting to work video and sound into their classrooms. “When I took the job it’s why they wanted me,” he says, thanks to his years of knowing which classroom tools could enhance the learning experience. “The fun thing in those days was learning the technology side. It became very interesting. Dynacam had people working within very small companies, who got to work with Microsoft. It was a real learning experience for me.” Technology Sales Fashano largely sold video and sound equipment, working with school districts across the country to implement ﬁber optics as they had been used in other business venues. “It was the early ’90s, so it was pretty cutting edge at the time,” he recalls. Although most of his time was spent explaining concepts to people, he says he really felt at the time that technology would only inﬂuence society and “the students of the future.” “In those days we’d say there was more technology at McDonald’s or in students’ homes than there was in the school districts,” he adds. When Fashano left Dynacam to reenter academe as Jamestown’s superin- tendent, he had clear ideas for what he’d implement in his new district, thanks to his private sector experience and a handy questionnaire he sent to faculty to evaluate what they were and weren’t getting from their district. Fashano soon learned that the facilities needed upgrading, from newer laboratory hoods in the science classrooms to buying new sinks with no leaks. But Jamestown also had technology troubles, where pockets of technology were far from even. “It was almost like the haves and the have-nots,” says Fashano. Those who asked for technology loudest had received it. So Fashano had his work cut out for him to even the tech playing ﬁeld among his six elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school, but his technically global ideas were welcome. “I’d learned so much in the ﬁeld of technology that to be able to use the experience was probably a turning point in getting the job because people were looking for a superintendent who understood it,” he says. “I still had to go through stages to show people what was happening in the outside world.” Technology Pilot Program Soon after his hiring, Fashano implemented a pilot system in 10 Jamestown classrooms comprising a voice, data and video system. This trifecta would make teaching easier, in his mind. Since then, technology has spread across the district. Jamestown became one of the ﬁrst school districts in the country to use ﬁber optic cables for transmitting data using unlimited bandwidth that now connects each school. An electronic “bulletin board” pops up when administrators log in to the system, where they can look at everything from curricula, to maps, to the No Child Left Behind law pages pertaining to the district. And schools have better reached their potential thanks to the constant Raymond J. Fashano Superintendent Jamestown (N.Y.) Public Schools Age: 58 Salary: $157,200 Tenure: 8 years Students: 5,000 Staff and faculty: 950 Schools: 11 Web site: www.jamestownpublicschools.org 30 August 2007 District Administration http://www.jamestownpublicschools.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - August 2007

Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Technology Update
Curriculum Update
Inside the Law
Research Corner
Computer Literature
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Bus Money
DIBELS Draws Doers & Doubters
Report from EduComm 2007
Ins and Outs of Outsourcing
Curriculum Clearance
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Problem Solution
Online Edge
Speaking Out
Professional Opinion
Calendar of Events
Understanding the Times

District Administration - August 2007