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West Noble spotlight: tech team credits salvage repairs and new media work for cost savings and wider outreach
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Summary
In a board spotlight, the district's technology staff reported salvaging parts and a district-funded repair program has saved about $10,000 so far this year and credited a new media coordinator with roughly 38% growth in Facebook followers.
Mike Murphy, who introduced the West Noble technology team at Tuesday's board meeting, said the district's decision to fund Chromebook repairs and to salvage parts from older devices has produced measurable cost savings and smoother device turnaround for students.
"The best kind of technology is the kind you don't ever see," Murphy said during the technology spotlight. He described a small team that monitors the TechHelp line, maintains network security and performs hardware repairs across campus.
Murphy told the board the district has replaced about $13,000 worth of damaged Chromebook parts this year but has limited vendor spending by reclaiming parts from older machines. "When I look up all my AGParts invoices we've spent about $2,700 ' $2,800 this year in parts, which means the rest of those parts are all coming from those used stacks that we've been able to salvage," he said. "So up to this point, we've saved the district about $10,000." The district also uses a student tech intern to remove reusable components from older devices, Murphy said.
Board members praised the approach as both fiscally prudent and positive for parent relations. One trustee said parents were grateful the district no longer sends repair bills for accidental damage and that the program appears to reduce tense interactions.
Murphy also credited media coordinator Mike Deeg for growing the district's social-media reach. "If you look at our Facebook following from almost a year ago from when he started, we're up about 38%," Murphy said, and he described a new Instagram presence that has increased community engagement.
The technology team said repairs often are completed quickly, with the district's hardware technician collecting, repairing and returning devices to schools. The board asked staff to provide website traffic data at a future meeting and discussed using the district app for timely delay and cancellation notices.
The meeting packet notes the district buys parts through AGParts and uses the hosting/app vendor Apogee for the website and app; Murphy said the app provides banner notifications and is an important communications channel.
