In a letter to the members of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education, the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber of Commerce voiced its support of the 2012 Tech Bond. This letter of support follows the Tech Advisory Group’s endorsement of the Tech Bond. Read the letter below. Dear Board Members: I write to you on behalf of the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti Regional Chamber to express our support for the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) Technology Bond on the ballot this May. The Chamber seeks to be the premier advocate for business and commerce and as such, believes there is an important business case to be made in support of this millage. The Chamber supports and advocates for the necessary technology infrastructure to educate our students. The technology bond will provide district wide technology improvements for all AAPS schools, including several specific benefits. These include keeping general fund dollars in the classroom, rather than diminishing operating dollars, and providing expanded wireless internet coverage for both students and the public in the Ann Arbor area. In addition, the expanded infrastructure will allow for more “speed” to push student data, track student achievement, and provide access to curriculum. The 10 year duration of the technology bond will allow for the replacement of instructional and staff computers three times, thus continuing to put the most recent technology in to classrooms. All of these improvements will help ready the next generation of our members’ employees and attract new businesses through enhancement of AAPS’s capabilities and reputation. The Chamber fully supports smart collaboration between units of government. As part of the Ann Arbor Public School’s commitment to collaboration and consolidation, the proposed new Human Resources/Financial software allowable through the bond proceeds, could be used to provide these needed services to other districts in Washtenaw County. This change could provide a savings to those districts and a potential revenue stream to AAPS, thus decreasing further need for taxpayer dollars. For the reasons stated, the A2Y Chamber supports the passage of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Technology Bond. Thank you for your consideration on this important matter. Sincerely, Diane Keller, President & CEO Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti Regional Chamber Related stories
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