[MACEP] 2007 Washington Policy Summit

[charlie irish]

The maze of paperwork that is e-rate is largely due to the nature of the
beast. As it sits now, it is a government program, funded by government
taxes but administered by a private company, operating under byzantine
federal rules.  I work for a small (600 student) districe in WA and we just
don't bother with priority 2 e-rate items. But even the priority 1 stuff,
while much simpler, is still a lot of work.

> I have to agree with Gary.  As a service provider that helps districts apply
> for, and stay compliant with ERATE, we see the very ugly side of the current
> program and the hundreds of man-hours it takes for districts to get funded,
> and then comply with all of the audits and requests for information.  There
> has to be a more efficient way. There are many districts in Oregon that just
> don't bother applying anymore due to the huge administrative burden.   A
> title/ grant system may be the answer.
> 
> Rod 
> 
> Rod Aust
> Chief Information Officer
> Willamette Education Service District
> (503) 385-4795
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: macep-bounces at macep.net [mailto:macep-bounces at macep.net] On Behalf Of
> Gary Hartman
> Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 8:18 AM
> To: MACEP
> Subject: Re: [MACEP] 2007 Washington Policy Summit
> 
> Hey Mike,
> Erate: I actually fully support the move to a formula grant program.
> At least for a small district, there is way top much expenditure of time
> and effort for the $ involved.  But the money is enough that you can't
> afford not to participate.  Especially if the district doesn't have
> enough free and reduce lunch count and  is not considered "poor".  That
> doesn't amke a lot of sense in Oregon, since every school district gets
> all their funding from the state and a "rich"
> 
> Gary Hartman
> Banks School District
> garyh at banks.k12.or.us
> (v) 503-324-8591
> 
> 
>>>> Mike Cullum <mcullum at nsd.org> 4/15/2007 7:33 AM >>>
> Good Morning,
> 
> I have been given the opportunity to attend the 2007 Washington Policy
> Summit on April 23 and 24, 2007.  The Summit involves several policy
> sessions around educational technology and an opportunity to interact
> with
> members in the House and Senate to share information about educational
> in
> your state.
> 
> So some question for MACEPers.  First, is anyone else attending?
> 
> Second, as I understand we will be addressing educational technology
> policy
> with our congressional delegations.  The major issues on the table at
> this
> point seem to be:
> 
>> ERATE, with the recommendation that congress:
>> 1. Reauthorize the E-Rate and maintain its inclusion in the Universal
> Service
>> fund. 
>> 2. Permanently exempt the E-Rate program from the Anti-Deficiency
> Act.
>> 3. Oppose all efforts to transform the E-Rate into a formula grant
> program
>> 
>> Enhancing Education Through Technology Program: With the
> recommendation that
>> congress restore funding for the EETT program to a minimum of its
> FY05 funding
>> level of $496 million to meet the goals of NCLB and ensure students
> and
>> teachers are prepared to compete in the 21st century.
> 
> So, what are your feelings and experiences with on ERATE and EETT
> funding?
> Are there improvements that you could see being made?
> 
> Finally, are there other issues that you don¹t see on the radar of
> policy
> makers that you would like seeing brought to the table?
> 
> Thanks for the input.
> 
> Mike
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Mike Cullum
> Director of Infrastructure and Instructional Technologies
> Northshore School District
> 3330 Monte Villa Parkway
> Bothell, WA 98021-7215
> 
> Telephone:  (425)489-6322  Fax:(425)489-6317
> Email: mcullum at nsd.org
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
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