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Schools Will Increase Network Capacity

Supt. Alene Reuschel
Supt. Alene Reuschel

The Macomb School District will spend $204,000 to increase its computer network capacity tenfold in time for next school year.

Superintendent Alene Reuschel said the extra capacity will allow greater use of wireless technology at the junior-senior high school next year.

She said, “We will make sure that every classroom-grades 7-12-will have the equivalent of 30 access points within a room which means you can have 30 units needing wireless service of some kind in a room.”

The current network only allows about 20 access points in a classroom. Greater demand causes computer crashes and loss of data.

Reuschel said the district will not provide a wireless device for each student to take home. She envisions a system where students would use the devices while in class.

She said, “We are always going to work very closely to make sure that we have one-to-one accessibility. Much different than a one-to-one initiative where we're actually purchasing a unit and giving you unit.”

She said the district will settle on a single device to provide for students. The district will allow students to use their own wireless devices but it will only provide technical support to devices owned by the district.  

The upgrades will provide quicker access to the Internet as well.

Reuschel stressed the upgrade was a regular part of the technology program. She said the money will come from the general education fund. The last major upgrade of the computer network was three years ago.