Technology Co-Ser Continues to Grow

Access to high-quality technology and services is an important resource CVES strives to provide school districts. Teachers need high-quality technology to provide resources and lessons in the classroom. Administrators need to connect quickly and effectively with parents, guardians and the community at large. Most students have school-issued laptops that require motoring, updates and repairs.

The Instructional Technology department in School Support Services ensures high-quality assistance is provided through state-of-the-art technology and support for CVES’ divisions and local school districts.

The department has grown to onboard more school districts and bring in more employees. Network & Systems Coordinator Matt Palkovic has overseen this growth since taking over the Technology Department in August 2022.

He joined CVES in 2020 with an expansive tech background after working for NERIC, Chazy Central School and the Department of Social Services. Prior to his hire, the tech department only supported CVES, but Co-Ser 564 was created to “provide direct support to districts, so they could buy hardware, software and services through CVES and receive state aid.”

As of this year, 13 component school districts utilize some aspect of the Technology Department. After paying a base fee, districts have access to purchase hardware,
software and services through the department. They can also request having a technician on-site.

“I was excited by the idea of being able to provide a service for schools the right way,” Palkovic said about the implementation of Co-Ser 564. “We are able to actually offer people a service that not only benefited them financially, but also had the forethought and anticipation of their needs.”

Part of this forethought is having districts be more cohesive in their strategy as far as what hardware and software to buy because it’s “a lot easier for a technician to switch and fill in, if everyone is using the same equipment.”

When Palkovic joined, there were three other employees. Now, the department has more than a dozen employees, with the hope to continue expanding. Some of the work he and his team provide include, but are not limited to, creating modifying network settings, cloud integration, account and service administration, identifying network issues, implementing cyber security best practices, network cost and efficiency optimization.

Their on-site services also provide school districts with great support. Some of these services include account maintenance, security, device repair and software and
asset management.

As coordinator, Palkovic provides assistance and expertise to his team when questions or crisis arise. He meets with districts about technology updates or fixes. Palkovic provides a hands-on approach to working with his team. He wants to keep learning new things, as well as teaching his team.

“We are a team, and we try to work on things together and figure them out,” Palkovic said. “I don’t ever want people to feel like they should be afraid to ask questions because they will be talked down to. Our team will work through it together and help find a solution.”

This team mentality, along with excitement for the job, is something Palkovic looks for in future employees. He finds that the most successful and happiest districts are the ones with technicians who have that positive attitude. Part of the tech department’s mission is to help any technician who needs it because that is what they are here for.

“I take that mission to heart. I genuinely want to help people, and I hope that’s what my team wants to do – genuinely help people,” Palkovic said.

 

Read more 2023-2024 Success Stories here.