The following message was sent to all Vermont school superintendents this
morning. This information has to do with the renewal or update process for
local information technology plans.

Bill Romond

VISMT                    Direct: (802)828-0064
Dillingham Hall          Office: (802)828-0060
7 West Street            Fax:    (802)828-0076
Montpelier, VT 05602     http://www.vismt.org
[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Romond [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 1999 12:10 PM
Subject: Technology Plan Update


September 28, 1999


Dear Superintendents,

We are writing to you in order to describe the process you will need to
follow in order to maintain certification of your local Information
Technology Plan. A complete re-write of your plan will NOT be required to
maintain your certification. Instead, a shorter (but still important)
"Information Technology Plan Update" will be required. The "update"
requirement applies to schools whose plans expire on or before 3/31/00. A
different process will apply to schools whose plans expire after 3/31/00.
The exact expiration date for the school(s) in your supervisory union or
district can be found at
http://www.vismt.org/programs/infotech/planning/cplans/certifie.htm. On
successful completion of the "update", your plan will be approved until at
least January 1, 2001.

A formal revision of your plan will not be required because of the upcoming
re-write of the State of Vermont K-12 Information Technology Plan, and the
impending revisions to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA). These two major events will provide direction to local districts and
their Information Technology planning efforts, so engaging in extensive
technology plan revision does not make sense at this time. Both the Vermont
K-12 Information Technology Plan and the ESEA revision should be completed
around December 31, 2000.

Following are the guidelines, directions, and forms required for you to
complete the "Local Information Technology Plan Update".  The purpose of
this update is to:

· Give you the opportunity to take stock of your progress
· Give us the chance to do the same
· Give you the opportunity to re-direct or alter your efforts in certain
areas
· Require you to carefully review your progress and report back to your
stakeholders

Primary emphasis of the "update" will be on your vision/mission, goals, and
evaluation. It is most important that your technology initiatives be
connected to your district's learning goals, and that you find ways to
determine how much progress your schools have made toward meeting those
goals.  We envision this process involving several committee meetings,
rather than a major time-consuming writing process.

All information for this process can be found at the VISMT website:
http://www.vismt.org/programs/infotech/planning/update/update.htm. If you
have questions or need clarification, contact:


Phil Hyjek, VISMT                               Bill Romond, VISMT
Information Technology Specialist       Director of Information Technology
Planning
Dillingham Hall   7 West St.            Dillingham Hall   7 West St.
Montpelier, VT 05602                    Montpelier, VT 05602
802-828-0063                            802-828-0064
[log in to unmask]                                [log in to unmask]