Wednesday, June 18, 2003
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Wednesday, June 18, 2003 |
For schools, 156 copiers mean a lot of expenseBy J. FRANK
LYNCH
Fred Phillips can tell you where every copy machine used by the Fayette County school district is sitting. He can tell you the model, the make, the point of over-extended use when it shuts itself down and starts flashing "Call for Service." He knows who provides that, too, and that next year it will cost more than $400,000 just to maintain the school system's 156 copiers and duplicators. Phillips, purchasing and inventory management agent, had a cheat sheet: A detailed accounting of all the district's copy machines, which he persented board members Monday with a plan to streamline and eliminate costly contracts and overlap of services. A 10-member committee recently completed the audit on the copier delimma, he said, and had agreed to accept bids from Ikon for new and replacement photocopiers, and from Omni Business Products for duplicators (the difference in the two refers to the size and quality of the job, he said). Another issue resolves around technology. Many older copiers in use by schools are analog, while all new machines are digital. Board member Janet Smola questioned whether the $400,000 cited was new funds or part of the budget awaiting final approval. And if so, did the money budgeted come close to fillngthe need that will arise. It is, in fact, already part of the overall budget, she was told. Then how much would it cost to replace all the machines in the system? "I can't give you a total, absolute dollar amount because there are so many factors," said James Stephens, system comptroller. "But it's not a cake walk, a blank check." And in cases where a machine purchased specifically for a school, as a gift from a PTO for example, or for a teacher or classroom, like and, the central office will pay to replace and upgrade it when the need arises. Smola was still hesitant to spend money on what she feared were "Cadillac" copiers. "If I have to choose between a Volkswagen and a Cadillac, I want the Cadillac," she said. "But if I've only budgeted for a Volkswagen ..." "These machines aren't Cadillacs," interjected fellow board member Greg Powers. Eventually, the board agreed that the proposal had sound merits, even if how to pay for all the new copiers needed down the road wasn't certain an OK'd the plan 5-0. In related business, the board approved a contract for membership in the Regional Educational Service Agency, which provides small-scale business machines for school use. In other action Monday, the board: · Approved the hiring or reassinging of more than 50 personnel, including Linda Beaublien, former teacher at the Alternative School, to assistant principal Huddleton, and Bonita Fluker, transfering from a position in the gifted program for Griffin Spalding County Schools, as assistant principal at North Fayette; ·OK'd the appointments of four business people to a new school council posts at Spring Hill, North Fayette, Oak Grove and Whitewater; ·Placed on the table for public inspection were the job descriptions of the new top-tier managers at the school district main offices: Deputy Superintendent Fred Oliver; Assistant Superintendent of EducationPam Riddle; Assistant Superintendent of Operations Wayne Robinson; ·Heard an update on school construction projects.
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