Prior to establishing a city Data Processing Department, the Westfield School Department used an IBM 402 Accounting Machine and other equipment to process report cards and state mandated attendance registers; housed in a small room in the now South Middle School. At that time the City operated a ledger accounting machine in the Treasurers office.
Under the initiative of Mayor John J. Palzcynski, Superintendent of Schools Lynn Clark, and other officials the Data Processing Department was formed in July 1970. The new department moved into a renovated room across from the now South Middle School wood shop. The department’s first task was to computerize the payroll for all city and school departments utilizing a NCR Century 100 computer. The department started with a supervisor, computer and keypunch operators.
When the present High School was designed, architects included rooms for the Data Processing Department in its original plans. The department worked closely with the cable TV company to utilize the cable system to link city and school buildings. Westfield was the first city in New England to use cable TV for data networking.
During the initial period at the High School, Digital Equipment Corporation, who operated a plant in Westfield, often supported requests for corporate contributions of equipment. Westfield transitioned to the PDP-11 platform and phased out NCR equipment.
After the retirement of the Instructional Resource Center director, this school department electronic maintenance group was brought under the supervision of the Data Processing Department and provided in house hardware maintenance.
Throughout the years, the department expanded in size and acquired more powerful equipment. The cable TV based network was replaced by fiber optic services from the Westfield Gas & Electric company, which continues to this day. In 2000, the department hired two employee’s to begin its full time support of school academic equipment, vastly expanding the amount of systems the department maintained.
In 2002, the founding director of the department retired. James Stucenski was named director and managed the Tech Center until late 2008. Under his direction the department built and moved into a new facility, help implement a city owned wide area network, and implemented many new technologies and services making the department one of the most advanced in the region.