Harvard's schools are in urgent need of updated computer networks, hardware, and software. That was the message that the Technology Plan Committee presented to the Harvard School Committee at its Dec. 12 meeting.

Surveys of parents, teachers, and students showed that "the vast majority of all groups enjoy an extremely high degree of access to technology at home, yet access to sufficient technology at school presents challenges at all levels," according to the report.

Not surprisingly, surveys also showed that students had a broader range of social media skills than their teachers. However, neither students nor teachers were fully familiar with some of the more advanced internet tools, such as creating wikis. And the surveys indicated that most parents are not aware of the ways their children can use technology in school.

The 13-member technology committee, chaired by the Hildreth Elementary School's interim associate principal Gretchen Henry, presented a three-year plan for 2011-2014. Henry noted that planning for longer than three years is unrealistic, because of the speed with which technology changes. The state requires all districts to have a technology plan in place, although the state's own standards are seriously out of date, Henry said.

According to the committee's report, the top-priority need is to replace the existing local area network that links the two school buildings with a system that is more reliable, has more capacity, and includes the administration building. The next priority is to replace and upgrade the wireless network within the schools.

In dealing with the current network problems, the schools' information technology manager Mark LaVertue said, "I feel like Scotty in the old 'Star Trek': 'I'm giving it all she's got, captain. There isn't any more.'"

The committee developed a detailed list of hardware and software needs, along with a financial plan, showing the costs spread over one, two, or three years. Costs for all the proposed hardware and software, if approved, would total $362,257, according to the report.

A partial list of the recommended equipment for the Bromfield School includes about 90 replacement computers, 30 of which are for the language labs and 10 for the music department. Other equipment includes several LED projectors, electronic readers, digital cameras, and probes for chemistry and biology.

Equipment listed for the elementary school includes about 60 desktop computers, eight laptops, 24 iPads, and two laser printers.

School Committee member Piali De supported upgrades to the networks but expressed grave doubts about other acquisitions.

"I am in no mood to fund all these computers until I see how they are going to be used in the classroom," she said. "The hardware is obsolete the minute you walk it into the school."

Elementary school teacher Rob Cullinane, a member of the committee, pointed out that the current laptop cart at Hildreth does not have enough computers for a whole class, and even some of those do not work anymore.

Bromfield School teacher Martha Brooks noted, "We do not have a laptop cart at Bromfield. We do not have SmartBoards. We are back in the dark ages at the Bromfield School."

Interim Superintendent Joe Connelly, who was also on the technology committee, noted that these purchases would be a one-time expense, not necessarily part of the fiscal 2013 operating budget.

"Harvard has the luxury of some other sources," he said, pointing to some money in the fiscal 2012 budget and the funds from the Devens contract.

School Committee chairman Keith Cheveralls concluded that the schools should consider the technological improvements in this financial cycle but said that the School Committee would have to fit the project into its financial planning by mid-January.