School districts have by and large had great results implementing VoIP, which has become the conduit for delivering expanded functionality, achieving greater internal control, and gaining freedom from onerous monthly phone bills. But demonstrating a financial return on what is a substantial investment can be an elusive effort. The goal of calculating return on investment with VoIP--or any new technology initiative, for that matter--is to derive either a simple number that identifies the value of the investment, or a ratio that compares the value of the results you expect to receive from the deployment to the amount one would have to spend to buy the system and maintain it. There are several methods of computing ROI, and one isn't necessarily better than another. It all depends on how higher-ups like to see their numbers. Thus, this paper presents three commonly used formulas, all working off the same hypothetical figures: Benefits total $250,000, while project costs come to $175,000.