Restructuring the technology department for tri-town schools will lead to a better use of staff and resources, say administrators.

Following Technology Director Ryan McGee's resignation in the spring, the school began a hunt to fill his position. On taking a deeper look at the resources already available in the district, however, the school leadership decided to try a new direction.

Many of the schools' technical specialists only worked 190 days a year, and therefore were not on hand in the summers to help set up computers and online systems for the beginning of school.

“They come in the beginning of the year, and they have a list a mile long,” said Superintendent Doug White.

The set up didn't play to the strengths of the specialists, he said.

“The way we were structured is we had individuals who were working in each one of the buildings and they needed to know everything,” said White.

In an effort to improve technology for students and teachers across the board, a number of changes are being made.

The director position is on hold in lieu of extending the days worked for technology specialists. Additionally, White received approval from the towns so that the specialists can float from school to school across the three towns, depending on what is needed and their individual strengths.

“One of the things this reconfiguration has done for us has really helped all these individuals tap into their expertise,” said Frangos.

For example, Rochester’s John Ashley has a strong networking background while the junior high school’s Sue Wheeler has more experience with online testing and assessments.

A help desk for teachers with students manning the phone lines is also in the works at the high school.

“They can start to gain some experience and community service opportunities,” said White.

On the curriculum and professional development front, Frangos will oversee opportunities to use online programs for teachers and students. Frangos said she hopes to provide more chances for teachers to take online courses and for students to increase their enrichment.

Frangos will also work with librarians across the three towns, helping them transform the libraries to “library media centers” where there will be a stronger emphasis on collaboration.

Additionally, the district is looking for a part-time webmaster who will oversee all of the schools’ websites.

"It’s a new way of looking at it," White said of the restructure. "We’re hoping this one will address some of the shortcomings we’ve seen in the past."