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By Greg Bartlett

The Charleston School District in Charleston, South Carolina has found a new way to track expenses for the district. Several of the district’s employees are carrying two way radios equipped with GPS tracking technology that allows the district to follow their movements while on the clock. In some cases, this has led to conversations between employees and supervisors about how much time is spent on certain tasks. School officials can also tell if employees are speeding in district owned vehicles when traveling from one location to another.

The primary reason for adding the GPS tracking capability was a problem with the way the school district paid overtime to its employees. The devices chosen give the employees the ability to clock in and out remotely using their radios to provide the district with accurate details on when they are or are not working.

According to the district management, the devices are not used to track the movements of employees when they are not on the clock. This is an important fact because the question has been raised about whether these devices constitute an invasion of privacy. The predominant legal opinion is that as long as these devices are only used to track movements of employees while on the clock, there is no invasion of privacy. Supervisors have the right and the responsibility to know exactly where their employees are working at any given time during the work day.

Several other school districts are looking at implementing a similar plan in the near future. While placing devices in vehicles is much more common than in radios, this system works for those employees who may have to drive their own personal vehicles to perform certain job related services. It also assures them that they will receive proper reimbursement for the use of their own vehicles.

One thing that is under serious consideration is adding GPS tracking for better fleet management of all the school buses in the district. This step would allow the district to monitor the driving habits of all its bus drivers and better ensure the safety of the students who are on the buses.

Public schools are beset by expenses that can often make them operate at a deficit. This has been the case with the Charleston School District for several years. Some question the viability of the GPS tracking program, but the school superintendent says that he may cut other expenses, but he will fight to keep the GPS system in place because it does show where a lot of wasted money is being spent and help to control expenses.