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Department Links
Contact InformationTo receive more information about Technology Services, please contact:
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Administrative Applications
Key administrative applications are provided in the following areas: Major Business Applications Major Business ApplicationsGuilford County maintains several major business applications including Financial, Payroll, Purchasing, Human Resource Management, Transportation Management and Cafeteria Management Systems. Most of the business applications are operational on the central IBM iSeries 400 computer located at the Eugene Street building. It is connected to the wide area network for access from remote sites. In addition, a smaller duplicate iSeries 400 computer is installed at a secondary site should the main unit have a disruption of service, The security policies and the backup and recovery procedures for the iSeries 400 are documented annually for the external audit of the general financial statements. Financial Management SunPac Financial Management System is the primary financial software used in the district. It provides an integrated software package for general ledger, budget control, purchasing, accounts payable and inventory management. In addition, all school districts use a state-provided purchasing system called NC eProcurement. The software provides electronic processing of quotes, bids, term contracts, new vendors and purchase order delivery. Human Resource Management North Carolina also provides a Human Resource Management System (HRMS) to districts to manage employee data. Guilford County uses the Applications, Employee Action, Position Management, CEU Renewals and Vacancy Management modules of HRMS. This data is considered “the master database” for all personnel tracking. It is used to populate other software packages, to create email user accounts and to initiate employee changes in the Payroll system. Several add-on work flow type modules have been written in-house for administrators and teachers. Using IBM’s Websphere architecture, the programs take advantage of the software’s capabilities to easily move documents and signatures through the district. Examples of the add-ons include: Extended Employment Agreements, Position Change Forms, Applicant Screening, Requests for Transfer, Staffing Letters and Vacancy Advertisements. Child Nutrition Systems The Child Nutrition Department also uses SunPac for centralized management of their general funding. Another suite of software products called MealsPlus is used to manage school cafeteria operations. All school cafeterias have the MealsPlus Point of Sale, Free & Reduced and Inventory Management modules. The software maintains information on menu items, inventories, meal counts, money collected, free and reduced applications and it produces reports necessary to meet the requirements of the federal School Lunch Program. In addition, parents can make prepayments and view what a student is purchasing using the integrated Web Payments module. Maintenance Requests The Maintenance Department is responsible for the ongoing maintenance and requested improvements of the district’s building and equipment. All work orders are processed using the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). Accessing a centralized database, school administrators enter all maintenance requests. The system tracks the progress of requests, materials used and time workers spend on projects. Electrical wiring and climate control are also the responsibility of the Maintenance Department. Although most Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems use different equipment throughout the district, Maintenance has been able to connect the systems to our wide area network for centralized management. They remotely maintain threshold and temperature settings. Many systems automatically alert Maintenance workers when problems occur. Facilities With the passage of a bond referendum in 2000, Guilford County began a major building program called the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). A similar $300 million referendum was approved in 2003. The Facilities Department is responsible for management of all new construction and renovation projects. The department recently implemented Primavera’s Expedition Professional. The web-based software is used by facilities, other department heads, vendors and contractors. It assists with the management of construction projects including contracts, budgets, punch lists, change orders, reviews and approvals, payments and cost analysis. Transportation Approximately 40,000 students ride one of more than 650 school buses to and from school each day. The district’s Transportation Department uses the state-provided Transportation Information Management System (TIMS). TIMS manages stops, runs, routes and student information. It enables central office employees and 25 remotely-located Routing Specialists to access the centralized database. Street data from Guilford County’s Geographic Information System (GIS) is downloadded to provide new street locations to the TIMS system. Student Information ManagementStudent Information Management System (SIMS) Currently, each school site uses the state-provided Student Information Management System (SIMS). It includes modules to handle general student accounting activities such as attendance, grade reporting and scheduling. The SIMS data is considered “the master database” for all student information and is used to populate all other software packages on a scheduled basis. While the SIMS system has been in use since 1988 and is limited, it continues to provide accurate management of data. Other Student Software Several third-party software packages have been implemented to assist with management of other areas of student data. Gradebook Manager provides an integrated electronic gradebook for teachers. Attendance X1 is a software package that enables the teacher to key absences directly and that data is integrated into the SIMS master files. All discipline data is tracked using the School Safety Program (SSP). A designated person at each school is responsible for entry of all incidents and consequences. CEACS is a new state-provided exceptional child tracking software that was recently installed. Other new software programs are being implemented to assist with the management of Accelerated Learning (AL) students and English Second Language (ESL) students. New Student Information System Guilford County is in the planning stages for district-wide implementation of the North Carolina Window of Information for Student Education (NC WISE). NC WISE will replace the current Student Information Management System (SIMS) which has been in use in North Carolina since 1983. NC WISE is a web-based system for managing student information. It will provide teachers and administrators with direct and immediate access to a full array of data on a student’s entire enrollment in North Carolina school systems. Members of the technology team have already attended readiness workshops and completed assessment documents. A position has been added to our central student information team to concentrate on issues that need to be addressed prior to that conversion. Issues such as cleansing data, managing user accounts, validating historical data, establishing training schedules, defining new course codes and creating data extracts for third-party software must be addressed. The official conversion date has not yet been established. Data Warehouse for Students Student data resides in various databases and third-party software packages. Guilford County purchased eScholar, a data warehouse for centralized student information. A data warehouse enables the district to combine data from various sources and to provide countywide reporting more easily. The warehouse now includes four years of history for student demographics, enrollment, absences, courses and grades, discipline data, free and reduced lunch status and exceptional child information. It also includes up to twelve years of achievement data for each student. We are in the process of populating fields for English Second Language (ESL) data, special programs and detailed teacher information. Using Brio Reporting Tool, hundreds of customized reports have been developed and are now available online for central office administrators and principals.
The Assessment and Evaluation Department uses ABC Tools and SPSS to further disaggregate and report assessment data. Other District ApplicationsHelp Desk Software School/Department Technology Contact Persons use a web-based Help Desk System to enter all requests for Technology Services – hardware issues, installation of software, additional cabling, email problems, etc. The school/department contact is able to view the history log of the ticket as it progresses toward completion. Users are notified via email when a ticket is assigned and completed. Communication Software Notification Technologies’ Connect-ED is being used for telephone communications between principals and parents. Administrators can record, schedule, send and track personalized voice messages to parents or staff in minutes. The message may be sent to all students at a school or to a subgroup. In addition, the software can interact with student information files and be used to alert parents that students were absent from school. Professional Development Management Software A new Internet-based software application, Coursewhere, was purchased to assist with the management of all employees’ professional development activities. Locally referred to as “PD Management,” the system provides employees with updated information about system-wide and school-based training options. It enables participants to search for a particular course, view the full description and see when the course is offered. If space is available, the participant can register online. In addition, teachers can access information about their renewal cycle, previous courses taken and current credit renewal totals. School OperationsTeachers have an electronic gradebook (Gradebook Manager), classroom attendance module that works with SIMS (Attendance X1), web page development software (SchoolCenter) and an assessment tool (ScanTron’s Achievement and Performance Series). School administrators have additional packages such as eScholar’s reporting tool and a telephone communications messaging software (Connect-ED). The state-provided HRMS system is available to principals and supervisors for the hiring process and other employee management actions. All employees have access to the new staff development activities software (PD Management). Workshop participants may search for a particular course, view the full description, see when the course is offered and then register online. The district uses SubFinder. Teachers who need substitutes call designated telephone numbers and using a touchtone phone, record their absence. They may enter a specific substitute or request that the system make an assignment. All media centers are automated for circulation and cataloging with Follett Library Management Software. Other school operations that are computerized include:
For security, many of these systems have been designed to be Intranet applications. Intranet applications require users to be connected to the Guilford County Schools’ network (directly or through a VPN) and have proper user identification. User identifications and access are correlated to the HRMS system employment assignment and maintained in the Active Directory. Guilford County Schools’ Web SiteGuilford County Schools’ Web Site The main web site was established in 1996 and continues to serve as the primary online source for Guilford County Schools’ information. A dedicated webmaster is employed to maintain the district web site. Features include drop down menus, a banner of special announcements, site search functions and a Quick Links section for popular links. The main links include:
Throughout the year, special pages are created in support of seasonal announcements and events such as the budget process, inclement weather guidelines, back-to-school information and the magnet fair. The employee services page, called “e-services”, includes web-based applications and information that are intended for Guilford County employees only. These programs may be password protected or available only through the Intranet. An organized menu provides links to online applications such as the Professional Development System, Help Desk, Maintenance Work Orders and Human Resource Management System. With school redistricting plans continuing to change, redistricting maps and a quick link called School Locator was added. An address can be keyed and the system will access the school assignments for the current and future years. The Work4GCS is a section designed specifically for prospective employees. The easy-to-use portal provides information about our schools, employment opportunities, benefits, incentives and the hiring process. School Web Sites All schools and several central office departments use SchoolCenter, a software package designed to enable schools and teachers to create web pages easily. With this online tool, schools and individual teachers can publish information, newsletters, calendars and various other documents. The software has templates and wizards to create simple pages or interactive activities, quizzes and message boards. The district webmaster maintains a template for each school’s cover page. This ensures that each school’s introductory information is available and consistent throughout the district. SchoolCenter allows individual school customization on subsequent pages. |
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Computerized solutions are used at all levels of the educational enterprise to support the automation and management of the district. Major business applications are installed centrally and additional software is available at the school sites to computerize many of their local operations. All administrators, teachers and staff have a desktop computer with Microsoft Office Pro, access to the Internet, email and software applications necessary for their job responsibilities.