Bismarck Public Schools is considering a master of its domain, www.bismarck.k12.nd.us.

The director of technology, Tanna Kincaid, wants to hire a full-time Webmaster to bring uniformity and continuity to the district's web sites.

The Bismarck School Board discussed the possibility at is meeting Monday night. It had approved funding for a Web site technician at a meeting in September, but not the actual hiring.

Board members wanted more information on what is needed for the district Web sites, a timeline to get it up and going and what the person would do after the bulk of the project is done.

Kincaid was unable to be at the meeting to address the board's questions Monday because of a family emergency. Instead, Superintendent Paul Johnson attempted to explain her vision for the Web site and the Web master's job.

"We do not have a person or pieces of people to do this at the district level," Johnson said, addressing a board member's concern that someone already with the district could handle the task.

Keeping the Web site current and user-friendly is important for communicating with parents and other people in the community, he said. The current Web site falls short of this need, he said.

"I really think we need a position devoted to this," he said.

Kincaid's proposal is to get the Web site current, and include new content, like a master event calendar and teacher Web pages. Later, it could be a source for online teacher development and video streaming. Eventually, the person's primary focus would go from overhauling the Web site to providing training for personnel on how to effectively use the Web site's features.

This transition from Web site technician to technology trainer concerned some of the board members.

"I read a memo about someone transitioning into teaching, that's a different skill set," board member Dan Kuntz said.

He said he sees a need for making the Web site uniform, but questions if it is a permanent full-time position. He would like to see the district put out a request for proposal to see what a contractor would do it for. The district has a contract with iNet, but doesn't have a staff person dedicated to working with the company, Renae Walker, community relations director, said.

Board member Marcia Olson said she agreed. She said she could see it taking two years as a full-time employee to update the Web site, but after that, she she doesn't see the need.

At the moment, the job description seems too broad, board member Steve Marquardt said. "Maybe, if it was a more specific job description, we would be more comfortable with it," he said.

The board wants Kincaid to come back to the board with a more specific recommendation, and they will consider it again. The board has budgeted $40,000 for upgrading its Web site.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)