What are the estimated transition costs, and will there be assistance to defray those costs?
It is expected that there will be one-time costs associated with either transitioning to the optional state system or modifying the existing district system to the new state data standard that districts will largely fund. The state has applied for a federal grant to fund acquisition and implementation of the SIS, which will be announced in May 2010. If the full amount requested is received, there is a provision for a portion of funds to assist districts in defraying transition costs. Districts should enjoy long-term cost savings in many forms, including an affordable SIS price point through a shared service; reduction of personnel, hardware, and ongoing service costs; streamlined state data submission and reporting; elimination of expensive vendor modifications to meet future state needs; and higher data quality to offset the transition costs and allow more efficient use of resources and tax dollars.
