By PAT NEWMAN
Staff Writer

Fayette County School District officials will usher in the new year with their fingers crossed that all their Y2K preparations will see them through the first week of the New Year.

Barring the loss of water, gas or electrical power, school will start back Wednesday, Jan 5. Teacher work days are scheduled for the third and fourth.

“We don't anticipate any interruptions of service. We've really thought this thing through,” said Ed Steil, technology director for the school district. Even consultants from CSC, a corporation hired by the school board to assist in evaluating the district's contingency plan, said school officials did a very thorough job.

School superintendent Dr. John DeCotis said during a recent meeting that school personnel have checked “everything we could think of” that could possibly be affected by Y2K, from student data and payroll procedures to elevators and alarm systems. “We've been proactive like everybody else. We've made corrections and prepared for Y2K. We feel like we'll be prepared. At the end of December, we'll look at where we are. We may have some minor issues, but we're pretty comfortable with where we stand.”

Plans to offset any interruption of services, or loss of any vital data, began in April 1998 when staff scrutinized significant pieces of software that drive school operations. In August 1998, the state Department of Education issued guidelines for school districts to meet the year 2000. A school task force was formed, and the process of analyzing, testing and remediation began. The result was a revised emergency plan and business continuance plan.

In the event of any Y2K glitches, the contingency plan will be put into effect. It covers a wide range of possibilities from handling daily business to dealing with outside vendors. Certified letters were mailed to every vendor serving the school district, according to DeCotis, requesting a response on how they would handle fallout from Y2K.

“A lot of vendors were advised by their attorneys not to reply,” DeCotis said. “The three mission-critical areas are electricity, water, gas,” Steil said. “We need water for sanitation and food service, the gas for heat and, of course, electricity. If we lose electricity, water or gas, we'll make provisions for how it will be replaced.”

One of the first areas Steil upgraded was software in the finance and human resources departments. With state money totalling about $15,400, Steil was able to “Y2K-proof” the payroll and payment to vendors.

Next, he standardized software in the schools' media centers, using a vendor that provided Y2K software. “Media centers are our first line of information,” Steil said. Finally in August 1998, the computers used in the administrative offices and in the schools for student records were upgraded and made Y2K compliant. “The state funded 45 new machines,” Steil added. Total cost about $56,000.

Steil said students' schedules and teachers' class rosters will be done in advance of the start of the second semester Jan. 5. The first two days of school, Monday and Tuesday, are teacher work days. “This was scheduled at least a year ago,” Steil said, dispelling the idea that the extra days were a Y2K precaution.

Steil said he would check on the school district's computer system New Year's Day along with four employees. He's not worried about computer failure, rather, “I'm more fearful of viruses — we're getting maybe three a week,” he said.

The nerve center of the district's technology operations is the old vocational/technical building behind the LaFayette Education Center. Servers for the schools, special education, community education and others are housed in a large, high-ceilinged room with no windows and stone fire walls. “It protects the computers from the elements,” Steil explained.

Manning the center is a staff of about six, which includes Constance Franklin, systems analyst and programmer; Lee Bailey, web master, and several technicians who work in the field.