District seeks E‑rate awards to upgrade wiring at 13 sites; federal program to cover ~85%
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Summary
At the Feb. 17 meeting, staff explained the federal E‑rate program and said the district will apply to upgrade wiring and cabling at 13 sites; the program would cover about 85% of eligible costs, leaving the district ~15% (estimated $478,000) to pay if awarded. Applications close April 1.
Dr. Coppock briefed the FNF committee on the federal E‑rate program on Feb. 17, describing two components — the state consortium that negotiates external connectivity and the district's application for internal wiring and hardware discounts. He said E‑rate would cover roughly 85% of the eligible internal connectivity project costs, leaving the district responsible for about 15%.
Dr. Coppock said the district is looking to update wiring and cabling at 13 sites, and that the 85% federal share would leave an estimated district contribution of about $478,000. "We are requesting the, the 3,000,000. We are not guaranteed those funds," he said, meaning the district will apply for up to roughly $3 million but will receive only what the funder awards.
He explained eligible E‑rate expenditures include routers, switches, cabling, broadband services and maintenance, and noted the program requires documentation such as student counts and an acceptable use policy posted online, as well as demonstration of the district's 15% match. The presenter said current connectivity levels are about 1 gigabit at elementary sites and 2 gigabits at middle and high schools and that the state consortium negotiates the district's external connectivity costs.
During questions, board members asked how non‑covered locations (Lower Richland Transportation, Lyon Street, Waverly Motor Pool) would be handled and how much those costs might be; staff said they would follow up with approximate figures. The board also asked about the E‑rate vendor; Dr. Coppock said the district uses Funds for Learning to manage applications and appeals and that that contract's fee runs about $40,000 annually.
On historical awards, Dr. Coppock said the district has been awarded $41,427,988.76 since 1998 but cautioned that awards have decreased in recent years and that the district is not guaranteed the full amount requested. He said the application window closes April 1 and that staff will review eventual awards and prioritize sites with the oldest wiring if funds are limited.
No formal action was taken during the committee session; staff sought the committee's questions and outlined next steps on the application and procurement process.