Arbor Park School District 145

Dave Termunde is an innovation leader blending technology, education and business expertise to transform K–8 learning environments, driving digital integration, cybersecurity awareness and student-centered initiatives through strategic leadership, infrastructure modernization and impactful curriculum development.

Rethinking Innovation in Modern Education Systems

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that “innovation” looks very different in education than it does in the business world. In business, innovation often centers around new products or ideas that eventually generate revenue. In education, innovation is much more about navigating discomfort, confronting fear of change, and helping people reimagine longstanding routines. Even now, with the rise of AI, the word innovation is often overshadowed; AI is seen as disruption, not necessarily as the intentional, strategic innovation we’re used to talking about. Innovation causes significant discomfort.

Before the Pandemic, I saw this as an opportunity to push our teachers to their limits with Microsoft Training. I took teachers out of classrooms for an all-inclusive, including lunch, training on Microsoft 365 tools. At the time, there were many complaints and negative comments about this approach and the topics it covered. But in March 2020, it hit, and our entire district was ready for online learning. Our teachers didn’t skip a beat during a year and a half of asynchronous online learning. Basically, as a technology director and administrator, you have to go with your gut and do what’s right.

The same mindset applies in Operations and Facilities; they picture cleaning supplies, floor scrubbers, and well-kept buildings, but rarely “innovation.” For me, innovation in both technology and operations comes from designing structure, routines and repeatable processes that help people do their best work. Implementing frameworks like Six Sigma’s 5S has been essential, because it gives teams a clear, visual and practical understanding of what improvement looks like. These experiences have reinforced that innovation isn’t always about introducing something flashy or new; it’s about elevating everyday systems to create clarity, efficiency, and pride in the work we do.

Balancing Technological Advancement with Budget Realities

Trending on LinkedIn right now: how do districts continue one-to-one programs when the budgets don’t allow it? But all our textbooks are gone, and the curriculum is online now. Districts have been facing this even before the Pandemic, but that has obviously drastically changed how we spend. With AI raising the costs of cloud services across all edtech tools, how do we decide what to pick? The buffet is over and it’s now time to start that diet! I start with a spreadsheet of apps, software, and costs. Everything now has a cost: time clock software, HR software, security cameras, etc. All have become subscription models that have continued to eat into our budgets.

Balancing advancement with budget requires prioritizing what brings the highest value to students and staff. It also means having candid conversations with vendors and being comfortable saying “no” when a tool doesn’t meet our needs or fit within our constraints. Sales reps often challenge that, but the reality is simple: districts survived before many of these services existed, and I will again if needed.

Ultimately, the balance is achieved through transparency, data-driven decision-making, long-term planning, and a willingness to make tough choices. This ensures I can continue advancing technologically while protecting operational efficiency and fiscal responsibility. Personally, I don’t want to tell teachers no or say they can’t have a specific tool, but sometimes it's necessary to balance the budget.

Time as the Ultimate Constraint in Technology Adoption

The biggest challenge is time! It doesn’t matter how many technology staff you have, how many hours in the day, or how much experience; time is the limiting factor in implementing new technologies. As someone who grew up playing with routers and switches rather than spending time with friends having fun, I know that internal excitement feeling you get with new technologies. But that excitement led to a passion that, in turn, made one an expert. But in education, how do we do this repeatedly, making it impossible for anyone to become an expert at everything? That is the challenge. Being fully transparent and helping staff understand that they don’t need to be the expert, but to just dive in and give it a try!

Turning Innovation into Measurable Impact

Each new technology includes onboarding time, vendor training sessions, staff professional development, and support after. One major change I made is not piloting items. Pilots take so much time, developmental demands, and expectations- just for something to possibly go away in a month. Our team tries to do our research ahead of time and pick what we know best.

Curriculum is a hard one not to pilot, so we reach out to other districts that are using the application to get feedback and observe how it works for them. Teachers are currently at capacity and experience burnout, and we don’t want to add to that. I still take the direct approach I mentioned earlier, but I am also here to support them and ensure they succeed. Then, we validate their feedback from anonymous surveys or even hallway conversations and make whatever changes we need. This can include dropping the new innovative initiative completely! It’s okay to be defeated sometimes!

The Convergence of Technology and Operations Leadership

Technology and Operations have essentially merged. Systems that once lived solely in Operations (door locks, cameras, HVAC) are now fully networked and fall under technology leadership. Today’s tech director is responsible for the entire student experience: WiFi, temperature, lighting, air quality, devices, and even learning‑space furniture design.

I’ve spent years modernizing our classrooms because the role is no longer behind the scenes. The tech director isn’t in the basement office anymore; the job is front‑facing, strategic, and essential to daily instruction and safety. Titles are evolving, too, now encompassing data, AI, innovation, and systems oversight. Technology and Operations leaders have become the glue that keeps everything running, and the value of that work is finally being recognized.