Centralia School District: When Every Edtech Dollar Counts
Don Ford oversees technology for Centralia School District in southern Illinois. His work centers on two questions: Are students safe on district devices, and does the software the district pays for earn its place in the budget?
Every student in Centralia qualifies for free lunch, and the district receives the highest possible federal E-Rate discount, 90%, on internet and network costs. With money this tight, Ford follows a few simple rules:
1. Pay for tools that support the curriculum and actually get used.
2. Lock in good pricing on products the district will always need.
3. Start renewal planning long before a contract runs out.
Centralia first worked with GoGuardian in 2018, using GoGuardian Teacher. When COVID-19 put devices in students' hands, including at home, Ford came back in 2021, this time with GoGuardian Admin. "When we had that need, I immediately went back to GoGuardian," he said. Looking back, he sees Admin as the right fit for the district's needs all along.
The challenge
Ford explained that the main concern for any district leader is always: "How do you keep your students safe? That's job number one when we're giving them technology access they've never had before, including taking the tech home with them."
Naturally, as with all schools, that has to fit inside a tight budget. District leaders weigh every technology purchase against other costs that arise yearly. "A superintendent is dealing with food service, teachers, custodians, unions, every type of expense you could imagine, bus, transportation. The list goes on," he clarified.
At the same time, new products are always being pitched to him, many of which make promises they simply can't keep. "My phone already rang twice this morning with vendors cold calling me, wanting to introduce an AI tool or something that will help test scores." There's no doubt this is a daily occurrence for those who work in technology procurement; so how does a tech director decide what's truly worth paying for?
The path forward
Ford reviews Centralia's software every year. He questions how each product is currently being used, how it will be used in the future, and how many people are actually using it. "Because if you've got maybe one or two people using a tool, then the district isn't getting what we would need to justify it."
Free tools already on the district's SOPPA-approved list don't need the same kind of tracking. Paid tools have to clear two bars. "Things we are paying money for have to align with our curriculum, number one, and then they have to be cost-effective," Ford stated.
When someone asks for a new tool, Ford works directly with principals and education leaders to find out what they need, then looks at what the district already owns. For questions about how students use their devices, the answer is often already in GoGuardian Admin. "I pull out the GoGuardian Admin dashboard, and we can likely get those questions answered. How much screen time are the students using, etc."
When a product passes that test and meets a need that won't go away, Ford prefers a longer contract. "GoGuardian gave us a good rate, and as you know, things are just not getting cheaper in the software world, the grocery store, anywhere, really," he said. "If you have a partner that's willing to be flexible with you on a five-year deal... I guarantee you I'm going to need student supervision five years from now. That's 100% sure."
Timing matters just as much as price. Centralia's current agreement runs through April 2028, and the district's fiscal year ends June 30. That puts the renewal in the 2027 budget conversation.
"If I have anything in 2028 that ends before June 30, 2028, that's a 2027 issue," Ford explained. "For key elements of my department, I cannot come to them in 2028 and say, 'Hey, this is expiring in 90 days.'"
The impact
Because GoGuardian Beacon Starter and web filtering are built into GoGuardian Admin, Ford is able to manage student safety from one place. "I love it for the convenience and reporting, really," he said. "I can log on and see all students' screen time or AI activity, browsing activity, the dashboard, and configure Beacon Starter."
He also relies on the simulator to test filtering decisions and uses the penalty box. "Having all that on one screen, that's huge. It saves me a bunch of time." For a small team, that time adds up. Educator requests to block or allow a site don't turn into support tickets. "You can tell your teachers, 'Email me what you want blocked,' and then just copy and paste it," Ford said. "It's a two-minute job."
Beacon Starter gives Ford confidence that students who need help won't be missed. "I sleep better at night knowing that if there's a problem, we'll get an alert." When an alert comes in, Ford can review it quickly and decide on next steps, because what matters is getting help to the student who needs it. As Ford put it, "[A real alert] could make a difference in a young person's life."
The newer AI activity view has added another layer of visibility. Ford can see which AI tools students are using and when. "That's really helpful to help us understand how they're using their time so we can focus it more on learning and achievement," he said.
If GoGuardian went away, Ford knows what would go south first. "The first thing would probably just be the filtering aspect. Kids would be getting on games, and teachers would be frustrated."
Protection where students are most connected
For Centralia, the budget and safety arguments point in the same direction. Many students depend on school devices and school internet access, making strong safeguards even more important.
"If we're sending these devices home, that might be the only device they have," Ford explained. "If they don't have internet access at home, when they're at school, that's when they're the most connected. We have to make sure those safeguards are in place even more so. It's something I think is super important for our community."
His advice to other small-district tech leads? "For a smaller district, going with GoGuardian is an even bigger home run because you're looking to solve the problem of students searching for inappropriate material and concerns from caregivers about protecting their children, right?" After five years with GoGuardian Admin, Ford's verdict is simple. "It's been a win for our staff, as well as the caregivers in the community."