NIAGARA FALLS -- Imagine a school with no more assignment sheets, no more attendance books, no more paper towels in the rest rooms.

No test papers, written transcripts or library cards.

In short, an almost paperless society.

This is what students will begin to experience when they return to classes Tuesday in Niagara Falls public schools and step into a higher-tech environment where "going green" is one of the key objectives.

"We are introducing [students and staff] to interactive skills of the 21st century to meet the demands of globalization: talent, tolerance of new methods, and technology," Superintendent Cynthia A. Bianco said.

Nearly all of these advances are computer-driven.

The district plans to drive down paper use, and cost, by using computers and swipe cards to do tasks once considered paperwork.

Hand dryers will be used in bathrooms,and recycling will be emphasized.

And among conservation measures, classroom lights will be shut off automatically if nobody is in the room for 30 minutes. Heating and cooling systems can be shut down at night and on weekends but can automatically return to the right temperature when schools open each morning.

Not all the innovations will take place at once, Bianco said, but "we definitely are moving ahead in technology."

Almost all aspects of going green will help students and teachers to do better jobs both inside and outside their classrooms.

One of the computer programs being introduced this year is called PowerSchool. Darlene Sprague, district administrator for information services, described it as an overarching system that will keep track of attendance, grades, seating charts, class schedules and other details of school activities. Related programs will keep track of inventory, costs and other aspects of food services in school cafeterias, and school bus transportation routes, schedules and usage.

These programs "have huge implications," Bianco said.

Sprague gave members of the School Board a multimedia description of some of the programs at a recent meeting. The demonstration was projected on a big screen at the front of the room and was duplicated on computer screens in front of each board member. No booklets or other printed materials were necessary.

Supporting documents that often were more than an inch thick are now provided electronically to board members.

All this technology comes with an initial cost, but it will save money in the long run. The reduced cost of paper products, fuel, electricity and supplies is among the examples. Installation and licensing of the equipment can cost from $37,000 to $200,000 in the first year, depending on the program, and the annual fee for maintenance and training can amount to $90,000.

The Orleans-Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services will reimburse the Niagara Falls School District for 83 percent of the cost, Bianco said.

rbaldwin@buffnews.comnull