INFORMATIONAL

As the Year 2000 rapidly approaches, organizations world-
wide are hard at work to ensure that their software, 
computers, infrastructure, and suppliers will continue to 
function properly as January 1, 2000, approaches.  
Utilizing prudent management effort and models provided 
by the Century Date Change Initiative (CDCI) Project 
Office, the Department of Education has been executing 
its internal Year 2000 (Y2K) Compliance and Readiness 
Plan.

One of the essential functions provided by the Department 
of Education is the collection of various data from local 
education agencies, detailing student counts, progress, 
and expenditures which provide needed information for 
legislative and funding requirements.  It is essential 
that the computer systems that generate data files, 
spreadsheets, hardcopy, or data for transfer to manual 
input forms continue to be operational and accurate in 
the Year 2000 and beyond.

In a previous Superintendent's Memo (No. 172, 
Informational, November 20, 1998), the Department of 
Education presented a Year 2000 (Y2K) Checklist for each 
LEA to use to provide much needed data on their Y2K 
readiness.  To date the response has been slow and 
spotty.  The above-mentioned memo requested monthly 
reports until June 1999 or until Y2K compliance is 
achieved.  

Due to the significance of state agencies' reliance on a number
of external organizations to provide data, the  CDCI has created
the "Data Exchange Organizer."  This  web-based data base can be
used by state agencies to  identify their data exchange partners
and assist in  establishing their contact with the appropriate
responsible person to facilitate Y2K testing.  We have 
entered each LEA into this data base, and are requesting 
that each LEA access the Organizer (at the CDCI website, 
www.cdci.state.va.us), and provide the contact and 
readiness status information.  In order to make this 
process as simple as possible, we have created only one 
omnibus data exchange, which will encompass all data 
collections done by the Department of Education.  I am 
requesting that each LEA start or continue using the Y2K 
Checklist, filed monthly, to help us understand how each 
individual LEA is progressing with Y2K readiness.

Checklists should be sent to:

                       Diane Eddleton
           Office of Management Information Systems
                       P.O. Box 2120
              Richmond, Virginia 23218-2120

For further information regarding the Checklists, CDCI 
Data Exchange Organizer, you may contact the following:

Dennis Weiss, Y2K Coordinator           (804) 225-2941
Scott Fairholm, CDCI                    (804) 786-1434 x3007
Office of MIS                           (804) 225-2099

PDS/djw

Attachments:    A hard copy of this memo and its attach-
                ment will be sent to the superintendent's 
                office.