TCEA Instructional Materials Allotment Survey

Instructions:

The purpose of this survey is to find out if school districts are using excess IMA funds for technology. Your feedback will be helpful in determining this and will assist TCEA in advocating for the appropriate use of funding for school technology

Question Title

* 1. Please indicate the title that best fits your job description at your school district.

Superintendent

Executive Director/Coordinator for Curriculum or Instruction

Chief Technology Officer/Director of Technology

Director/Coordinator of Instructional Technology

Director/Coordinator of Instructional Materials (the person who handles instructional materials)

Executive Director of Finance

Director/Coordinator of a specific subject area

Director/Coordinator of CTE

Teacher

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 2. Name (first, last)

Question Title

* 3. Email Address

Question Title

* 4. School District

IMA Background Information:

The Instructional Materials Allotment (IMA) was created in 2011 by Senate Bill 6. The IMA was designed by the Texas Legislature as a dual-purpose fund that could be used by districts to purchase instructional materials and technology, both services and equipment. Senate Bill 6 eliminated the Technology Allotment that had helped districts fund technology since 1992. In the years prior to 2011, the Texas Legislature appropriated $270 million (per biennium) for the Technology Allotment. Since the inception of the IMA, Texas school districts have spent 84% to 94% of the IMA on instructional materials.

Question Title

Districts have reported that between 2011-2015, there was NOT enough money in the IMA to purchase both instructional materials and technology. The State Board of Education worked to increase the amount in the IMA and to limit the number of proclamations in the current biennium so that there would be enough money in the allotment to be used for technology. As of March 31, there is roughly $389 million remaining in the IMA.

Question Title

* 5. Currently, there is $389 million left in the IMA. There is not a textbook adoption for the 2016-2017 school year, which means there should be excess money in the IMA that could be used on technology. Making your best educated guess, how much of the IMA would you estimate your district will spend on technology-related purchases by May 2017?

$0.00

$1 to $10 a student

$11 to $20 a student

$21 to $25 a student

$26 to $30 a student

More than $31 a student

I don't know.

Question Title

* 6. If you estimate that your district will spend less than $30 a student on technology, which of these are contributing factors? (Check all the apply.)

Saving for Proclamation 2017 (CTE and LOTE), which will be in classrooms in the 2017-2018 school year.

We plan on rolling the money forward to the next biennium for a large technology deployment.

Lack of technology vision by district leadership.

We did not realize that we could use the IMA for technology.

Our district has never considered the IMA as a funding source for technology.

We will spend more than we have in the past, but it won't be $30 a student.

We are spending at least $30 a student on technology out of the IMA.

Question Title

* 7. Since the inception of the IMA, describe which of the following best fits your district's technology expenditures from the IMA.

We have always used a portion of the IMA for technology expenditures.

We have rarely used the IMA for technology expenditures.

We have never used the IMA for technology expenditures.

Question Title

* 8. Describe which of the following best fits the decision-making process for IMA expenditures within your district.

Technology staff is a part of the decision-making process.

Technology staff is not always included in the decision-making process.

Technology staff is never included in the decision-making process.

Question Title

* 9. Which of these best describes your district's use of digital materials in the classroom.

If teachers want to use digital instructional materials, they are allowed to do so, but they are neither encouraged or required to.

The district actively encourages teachers to use digital materials, but does not require the use of digital instructional materials.

Teachers are expected to use digital instructional materials, but each subject area has a print version of the instructional materials.

The district has adopted only digital instructional materials for one or more subject areas.

The district has only adopted digital instructional materials for all core subject areas.

Question Title

* 10. Please list the names of the job titles of the individuals who are included in the decision-making process of how the IMA funds will be allocated. (optional)

Question Title

* 1. Please indicate the title that best fits your job description at your school district.

Question Title

* 2. Name (first, last)

Question Title

* 3. Email Address

Question Title

* 4. School District

Question Title

Question Title

Question Title

Question Title

* 6. If you estimate that your district will spend less than $30 a student on technology, which of these are contributing factors? (Check all the apply.)

Question Title

* 7. Since the inception of the IMA, describe which of the following best fits your district's technology expenditures from the IMA.

Question Title

* 8. Describe which of the following best fits the decision-making process for IMA expenditures within your district.

Question Title

* 9. Which of these best describes your district's use of digital materials in the classroom.

Question Title

* 10. Please list the names of the job titles of the individuals who are included in the decision-making process of how the IMA funds will be allocated. (optional)

Question Title

* 11. Please describe any concerns or questions that you have about the IMA.