The purpose of the projects in each unit is to provide you with hands-on experience with the content in the unit. Each unit will have several project options. You should choose the one project that best aligns with your personal interests and your context. NOTE: For some of these projects, these deliverables may already exist in your district. While you’re free to build on what exists, you cannot simply turn in what your district already has.

Option 1: Create a Sample Project Budget

Create a sample budget for a project of your choice. This could be to upfit a classroom or computer lab, provide home access during COVID, etc. Your budget should be comprehensive and should include equipment and related services (setup, etc.), personnel time, management, training, etc. (5 points) and should include the basis for your calculations. Your write-up should explain the project in sufficient detail to be understood (2 points) and explain how you picked what you included and why (3 points).

Option 2: Mini-Grant

Using an RFP from the grant of your choice (i.e. Donors Choose, Bright Ideas, etc.), create an application from the grant of the project of your choice (7 points). If the grant is currently open for submission, use the most recent RFP. Include a write-up reflecting on the experience - what were the challenges you faced and how you worked through them (3 points).

Option 3: TCO Calculations

Identify the Total Cost of Ownership for a project or initiative in your school. This includes the cost of devices, maintenance, support, training, storage, etc. for the entire project and should include both direct and indirect costs. Your TCO calculations should describe your project (2 points), show and explain your calculations (6 points), and reflect on how you arrived at the TCO and what may be missing or inexact (2 points).

Option 4: Requirements

Write a set of requirements for a new project or program. Use this guide from NASA to help. Your requirements should be detailed, easy to follow, and complete (6 points). Your write-up should include a detailed description of the project (2 points) along with a reflection on the requirements you chose (i.e. what you chose to include and not, and how it was worded; 2 points).

Option 5: Funding Sustainability

COVID 19 has required schools and districts to purchase large numbers of laptops and mobile hotspots. ESSER funding has allowed for the purchase of large numbers of devices, with no funding available for replacement. For this project, you need to interview a few key stakeholders (principals, finance officers, etc.) and identify how districts are planning to sustain funding for these devices. Include the relevant PRCs and line items that will be leveraged. Your write-up should include the results of your interviews and a synthesis of the plan for moving forward (10 points).

Option 6: School Finance for Dummies

Using information from the Public School Forum, EdNC, the UNC School of Government, BestNC, and NCDPI – create a one-page guide to educate the public on how school finance in North Carolina works (5 points). In your reflection, summarize the process you went through to create this guide, what struggles and revelations you encountered, and how you made sense of the process (5 points). NOTE: Please email me with questions as you go through this if needed.

Option 7: Choose Your Own Adventure

If there is a different product that you would like to create that is along the lines of the above projects, please contact me with a brief proposal.