This page has been designed to provide an overview of the services provided by the Management Information Systems Department (MIS) at Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD). The intent is to provide you with general information and points of contact for any issue that belongs to MIS.

Help Desk 490-6301

The central point of contact for Network, Computer and Telephone repair issues is the Help Desk. The Help Desk provides phone support/assistance or, if unable to resolve the issue on the phone, will generate a work order to dispatch a technician. The Help Desk also provides phone support for users of the Osiris student database. Help Desk phones are answered from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If you are greeted by a telephone answering system, please leave a message and your call will be returned as soon as possible.

Telephone Repair Issues

Please report telephone outages and repair issues to the Help Desk. A work order will be generated and the telephone repair technician will be dispatched as quickly as possible. Call the Help Desk to follow-up on the status of work orders.

Computer Repair Issues

Computer repair issues are also handled by the Help Desk. All computer repair work orders entered into the system require either a budget string or some form of funding instruction. Funding is required to all reimbursement to MIS for parts used - there are no labor charges. Requests for work are generally requested through and approved by your Coordinator at the Central Office. The Coordinator places funding information on the request and forwards it to the Help Desk for action. The Help Desk issues a work order and assigns it to the Repair Technician to do the repair within 5 business days after the work order is assigned. If the parts are not available there may be some delay (applies to printer parts primarily).

Who is my Coordinator?

This is a frequently asked question. If not sure, please check with your Principal. If the Coordinator cannot be determined, the school must find a way to pay repair costs (i.e., most donated computers are not supported by a coordinator at the Central Office and require school funding to maintain or upgrade). MIS is the coordinator for all front office computers and printers. Principals of front office staff should call the Help Desk direct for assistance for computer or printers in their area.

PCSSD Web Master - Don Pierson 490-6299

The PCSSD Web Master is the point of contact for assistance in creating Departmental and School web pages or making changes to those already in existence. These web pages are hosted on the PCSSD Web Server located at the Central Office. Procedures are posted on the PCSSD web page at http://www.pcssd.org/  Follow the link to "Internet Policy" and "Guidelines for PCSSD Web Server".

Email Listings on PCSSD Web Page

Additions, deletions or corrections to Email listings on the PCSSD Web Page under the "Admin Email Directory" link should be submitted to the PCSSD Web Master. Please send these changes via email to: dpierson@pcssd.org or call Don Pierson at 490-6299.

Requests for Additional Telephone Lines or Equipment

Requests for new telephone lines or equipment should be forwarded to Mike Cothren, Director of MIS via email at mcothren@pcssd.org or by courier. Please include complete justification and details of work to be done.

Requests for Network/Internet Drops

Requests for drops in instruction areas should be forwarded to either the designated Coordinator or John Goswick, Director, Instructional Technology at the Central Office. If the school is willing to fund the cost of installing the drops, contact Mike Cothren at 490-6238 or via email at mcothren@pcssd.org for information. Requests for drops in Front Office areas should be sent to Mike Cothren.

Requests for Data Processing

Request for reports generated from information contained in the Financial, Personnel or Student Database should be sent to Sharon Berry, Asst. Director, MIS. Sharon can be reached by telephone at 490-6236 or email at sberry@pcssd.org .

Internet Content Filtering Issues

PCSSD has implemented Internet Content Filtering. The list of filtered web sites has been pre-determined by the company contracted to provide the service (Sonic Wall). If you need to access a site that is being filtered or would like to have an objectionable site added to the filter list, send an email to filter@pcssd.org. Point of contact is John Goswick, Director, Instructional Technology at 490-6264, Bill Sardin, Network Technician at 490-6253 or Mike Cothren, Director MIS at 490-6238.

Donated Computers

PCSSD has established minimum standards for donated computers. Please do not accept or negotiate for donated computers without first contacting Mike Cothren, 490-6238 for guidance. As mentioned earlier, donated computers become the responsibility of the school for upgrading or maintenance.

All Other Issues

Please contact Mike Cothren, 490-6238 for issues not covered in this brochure.

MIS Contact Information

Director: Mike Cothren, 490-6238 email: mcothren@pcssd.org

Assistant Director, Data Processing: Sharon Berry, 490-6236 email: sberry@pcssd.org

Assistant Director, Network & Computer Ops: Jimmy Hogg, 490-6305 email: jhogg@pcssd.org

Help Desk: Elizabeth Bobbitt, 490-6301 email: ebobbitt@pcssd.org