LEANN PETTIT / SPRINGFORD REPORTER VALLEY - 9/3/2009
At the Aug. 24 meeting of the Spring-Ford Area School Board, the board approved the acquisition of V-Soft from Raptorware Inc.
V-Soft, used at school districts throughout the country, uses a scanned driver's license or other state-issued ID card to search the Megan's Law database of convicted sex offenders.
The new software will help keep the school district safe for students, teachers and administrators at the schools and the administration building.
Because the database is Internet-based, the database of convicted sex offenders is continually updated.
Once the software scans the ID, it prints off a badge with the person's picture, name, date and destination. While IDs only need to be scanned once a year, visitor badges will be printed for every visit, when the software will research the visitor.
The system optically scans the front side of a visitors ID and only the first and last name and date of birth. The system then queries 50 states’ registered sex offender databases.
The software was in effect for the first day of school, Aug. 31. All faculty and staff at all school buildings and the school board members will be checked through the V-Soft software prior to the start of school.
Parents in attendance at the meeting wanted everyone who enters the building to be cleared through the V-Soft system including contractors, delivery people and maintenance.
There was also question as to whether the transportation staff will have clearances through the V-Soft system.
The administration at the district will be working to create guidelines for who should go through clearances.
However, the district is working on guidelines on who among the staff should be verified through V-Soft.
The software allows the school more clearance opportunities for family members who have not been allowed in the building prior to the installation of the V-Soft system.
Currently, the V-Soft system is used by more than 6,000 campuses in 40 states. In the 2008-09 school year, the system positively identified more than 1,700 registered sex offenders entering school.
The cost for the system is $19,016 for the first year with installation, setup, and first year database fees for all schools and the district office. The service will cost $5,616 annually for the service which will be paid for out of the technology budget.
In other business at the Aug. 24 meeting, the board unanimously voted to accept a resolution calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact a state budget that increases basic education funding by at least $300 million.
The resolution is being approved throughout the state as a sign to legislators in Harrisburg that public schools are in a tight spot without the state funding.
School districts, such as Spring-Ford, will miss out on the second of the bimonthly payments from the state, leaving districts out almost $1.3 million.
School districts need to have an approved budget by June 30 or must meet daily until one is approved for the following school year. However, Pennsylvania is still without a budget and only top leadership in the state Senate is meeting on a regular basis.
The crisis leaves some school districts in an unpleasant situation as the new school year begins.
However, Spring-Ford is in much better shape than surrounding districts. Business Manager Tim Anspach estimated that without state funding, Spring-Ford could last until May before needing additional funding.
The Pennsylvania State budget is in an impasse with much of the focus being on basic education funding. The budget originally gave school districts $300 million.
If a budget is passed with less than the proposed $300 million, Spring-Ford will receive $400,000 less than anticipated when the 2009-10 budget was written.
The district has already taken measures to cut costs by more than $1.7 million.
The budget impasse in Harrisburg is not only hurting today's students, but it will also affect school districts in years to come as school districts struggle to rebalance their budgets.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan warned Pennsylvania against rolling-back state funding for basic education and using stimulus dollars. By doing so, Pennsylvania will jeopardize its competitive position to gain access to the "Race to the Top" discretionary grant dollars.
Resolution 2009-17 calls on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to: increase the basic education funding to at least $300 million, keep Pennsylvania on track for education reform and maintain the state's investment in public education by not rolling-back state funds in the basic education subsidy.