4 top upgrades for School Administrators to consider

Fall’s here, and depending on where you live, that may mean full classrooms and kids hunkering down to learn. Or, it may mean surprisingly empty rooms while the student body reaches out via Zoom. No, my friends, this is not a normal year. Certainly not for schools. If you’re a teacher, you’re learning skills you never thought you’d need. If you’re a student, you’re learning that staying in bed for class isn’t as much fun as you thought. And, if you’re an administrator, you’re learning that none of this is anything near what you expected you’d be doing.

Make the most of the situation

The lament of the school administrator is this: You know what needs to be done. You know how long it’s going to take to do. You know how much money it’s going to take and you know how to get the money. The one thing you don’t know is when you’ll have the time to do it.

Why? I’ll tell the rest of the readers what you, school administrators, already know. School budgets usually open up July 1. That’s when the money becomes available. But, you have only a short time to get all those projects done before the kids come back. In some parts of the country that could be as early as August 1, but in others it’s after Labor Day. It’s a rush to get those “capital improvement” projects done before the beginning of the year.

Of course this year’s different. Depending on where you are, the kids might be at home for a while yet. I know there are some school districts that aren’t even thinking of reopening until after the winter break. Others are taking it as it comes. Regardless, if you have some extra money in the budget, here are 4 upgrades you might want to consider while the kids are still doing distance learning:

TV Antenna

This may seem like an odd one. But, adding a TV antenna will give teachers access to live educational programming and also reduce the stress on your internet connections. It’s a simple upgrade that will give you access to news and current events when you need it, too. We all remember being in school when some tragedy happened and regardless of the other ways to get that information, turning on the TV was the easiest way to know what was going on.

Upgraded Wi-Fi

When those kids come back from distance learning, do you really think they’ll put the devices down? Chances are there will still be online assignments and your Wi-Fi had better be ready to handle all the extra stress.

Access control

Let’s not forget that before any of this happened, schools could be a scary place for a lot of other reasons. Putting in a good access control system may even be required by your state or county. Even if it isn’t, it’s a good time to do an upgrade that could keep all teachers and students safe

Cell phones and hotspots

Believe me, we all need to be more connected than ever now, and that’s why you’ll need a good backup plan for when the internet goes down. Don’t pretend there were never internet outages before. There were, but you worked around them. With students and teachers now so dependent on internet, you’re going to need a way to make sure they can stay connected. Having cell phones and hotspots can make sure everything goes smooth all the time

Call Signal Connect to get what you need

Sure, the bid process may be hard, but you can make it easier with an expert on your side. Signal Connect’s Business Enterprise Solutions unit can help with all aspects of the government contract process. We’re experts at navigating through the red tape and getting you what you need, on time and on budget. When you’re ready to talk to an expert who will take a personal interest in your needs, call 888-233-7563 and ask for our Business Enterprise Solutions unit. Or, if it’s after school hours, leave a message by filling out the form below!

 

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.