Technology is the indispensable underpinning for academic and operational activities within the Birmingham City School District. It is comprised of People, Processes, and Technology and is an essential tool in the execution of the responsibilities and services provided to students, staff, employees, and the community.

Technology Governance has these major responsibilities:


  • Assure the alignment of Technology with the District’s Mission, Goals.
  • Assure that the use of District Technology provides maximum benefits and opportunities for student achievement.
  • Assure there is responsible use of Technology resources and appropriate management of Technology-related risks.


Our goal is to institutionalize processes that ensure effective and efficient uses of Technology while achieving the District's Mission and Goals. ITG assures a framework through which decisions are made, standards and policies are defined, and processes implemented in the best interest of the District.


ITIL® and Technology Governance Principles

Governance is a process which ensures the effective and efficient use of IT in enabling the achievement of District goals. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) is the most widely accepted approach to IT service management in the world. It provides a cohesive set of best practices, drawn internationally from the public and private sectors, along with a systematic and professional framework to manage IT services. Benefits of following the ITIL framework include:


  • reduced costs
  • improved IT services
  • improved customer satisfaction
  • standards and guidance
  • improved productivity
  • improved use of skills and experience
  • improved delivery of third party services



Technology Change Management

Change Management is the process of controlling changes to the District’s technical infrastructure or to any aspect of services. Changes then occur in a systematic manner, enabling approved Changes to occur with minimum disruption. This process must be efficient to reduce the risk of slowing the forward movement of the District. All technology changes are to be approved by a proposed Change Advisory Board (CAB).


Technology Purchases and Acquisitions

The District is very focused on innovations supporting student achievement, both directly and indirectly, while assuring that all technology stays aligned with the District’s mission and goals. 


Future Look for Technology Governance and Policies


  • The continued Implementation of ITIL based Service Level Management (SLM) for Incident, Problem, and Change/Release processes will demonstrate these processes are deeply institutionalized within IT.
  • A Web-based Service Catalog in conjunction with Service Level Agreements (SLA), Operational Level Agreements (OLA) and Underpinning Contracts (UC) will become common practice. The SLA’s will set customer expectations, the OLA’s establish formal documented criteria for staff support responsibilities, and the UC’s will be aligned in compliance with SLAs and OLAs.
  • Technology Policies will be updated and reviewed on an annual basis to assure the District continues to modernize technology.
  • Reviews, inspections, assessments, and examinations of progress will be undertaken to measure the movement toward institutionalization of best practices, reduction of technology risks, maximization of technology in support of student achievement, and technology’s alignment with the District’s Mission, Goals.