USP editors' comment: If you read the contents of this web site prior to the 1996 bond election, you can skip this section. We could find no inadequacies noted by the auditors which were not explained in greater detail, by us, in January of 1996.

"What the auditors found was little evidence of a systematic plan to guide the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool in the Plano ISD. Technology documents presented to the auditors described a wide variety of technology initiatives. These initiatives, however, focused primarily on the acquisition of hardware and software. Very little documentation was found that provided any insight into how technology would be used to support the delivery of the district's curriculum and enhance studetn achievement. Most of the documentation reviewed described technology as the object of instruction with the focus on students learning about hardware and software."

USP editors' comment: What is also readily apparent from most district documents, is that district personnel do not, for the most part, understand the technology themselves.

"Given the rapid advances in technology, it is most likely that technology purchased through bonded debt will be obsolete before the debt is paid off."

"The technology requirements of the integrated curriculum, however, are significant in terms of hardware, software, and staff training. The auditors found no documentation which would show how the district plans to sustain, over time, the technology requirements associated with implementing the integrated curriculum.

"(A)s currently being implemented, the Plano ISD's technology efforts lack a comprehensive plan for the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool, thus limiting its potential."

"Little evidence of any planning for the use of technology as a delivery medium, as an instructional tool, or as a tool to manage instruction was noted."