North Carolina just held its annual “sales-tax free weekend” to assist families in getting their children ready to head back to school. With tax exemptions on clothing, supplies and computers, the lines were long and the shopping was fierce at our local retailers (just ask my wife). As we talked about what our oldest daughter needed for starting second grade in late August, I thought some about what the “back to school” list might look like for technology departments.

Aside from the usual influx of daily crises and planned activities, some basic preparations might need to be in order in our technology departments for the start of school.

• Licenses: What is the status of our software licenses for our existing inventory and do we need to plan for additional purchases if our projected enrollment is growing?
• Repairs/Upgrades: Have we completed all of our work orders from the summer and are all of the patches and upgrades ready for the arrival of staff and students?
• Processes: As we start another year, do we need to revisit any of our existing processes within the department to expedite our services or address issues from a different approach this year?
• Professional Development: Based on our needs and plans, what professional development offerings are needed for our school-based and departmental staff?
• Policies: Do we have any policies that need to be updated or implemented this year?
• Budget: When cuts are announced (and they will likely come with rising fuel costs), where can we make changes to maintain our level of services and continue with our plans?
  
  While this list is certainly not exhaustive, taking a moment to review these items might spur other “back to school” issues that we can act on before the first day of school.

Lane B. Mills, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership program at East Carolina University. A former Assistant Superintendent for Accountability and Technology for a North Carolina school system, Dr. Mills was a 2004 Technology and Learning Ed Tech Leader of the Year finalist.

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