When Carolina Journal interviewed Bob Bellamy, associate superintendent for accountability and technology for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction for CJ’s April issue, he acknowledged that the statewide NC WISE (Window of Information on Student Education) computer system could cost up to $150 million to implement in all schools throughout the state.
But documents obtained in May by CJ say the expected costs, as of Jan. 23 this year, are expected to climb to $234 million by the time the project is completed in 2010.
The project started in 1999 as a $54 million contract with PricewaterhouseCoopers to replace the public schools’ aging computer system. In 2002, IBM bought that arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers and inherited the project. The state has a contract with IBM until 2009.
NC WISE has had its share of critics, many from teachers at pilot schools who have had to deal with the initial rollout of the program. But Bellamy says that is part of the growing pains, and things are improving.
“That’s the point of a pilot,” he said. “What we’re hearing now is those districts are very pleased with NC WISE — it’s getting the job done.”
Bellamy explained that the original $54 million contract with PWC was only for the pilot program. When IBM took over the project, the company renegotiated with the state to include costs for the deployment of NC WISE. That raised the contract to $78.6 million.
But a summary document of estimated costs to install NC WISE statewide, created by DPI in January, showed $76.4 million in new costs related to the contract. Accounting for other projected contract personnel costs; computer hardware, software and hosting costs; and DPI internal costs added another $35.8 million. Costs for upgrades in local schools were expected to add another $63.8 million.
Chesser is associate editor of Carolina Journal. Correspondent Kathleen Keener contributed to this report.