A report by Dayton Daily News appears to pose a puzzling question: Who will pay for the hardware and software needed when schools switch from giving paper-and-pencil versions of standardized tests to a computerized system?
"It's unclear how much the transition to computerized testing will cost the state or school districts," states a wire-service report based on the article. "The districts must have enough computers to allow a large number of students to take multiple tests."
"We have lots of concerns but not answers," Kettering Superintendent Jim Schoenlein told the newspaper.
Obviously, school districts aren't lobbying for the duty of paying for something they did not request. It would make sense for the state to cover the cost - unless, of course, the testing is a federal requirement.
But, no matter where the cost is assigned, taxpayers should know who ultimately will foot the bill - no test needed on that question.
