After the Storms, Technology Helped Keep Schools Running

Amidst the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, federal technology funding programs offered hope to school administrators desperately searching for ways to restore stability fast.

In Lake Charles, La., one of the areas hardest hit by the history-making storms, information technology systems were up and running within hours, making it possible for teachers to access irreplaceable records and communicate with students. Funding from two federal programs called E-Rate and Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) are being credited with this success.

E-Rate and EETT grants went toward installing new technologies that allowed the school district in Lake Charles to regularly update its Web site with alerts and keep the email and payroll systems operating as usual. A portion of funding was also used to train school employees in the skills needed for using the Internet and email system, which proved worthwhile after employees were forced to evacuate and disperse throughout the country.

“It really made a huge difference,” said Sheryl Abshire, NEA member and District Administrative Coordinator of Technology for the Calcasieu Parish Public Schools in Lake Charles. “The systems connected our whole community and served as an access point for information that helped keep the morale up for teachers. It really made sure people realized we were coming back and our school system was not going to have a problem.”

In areas without EETT, administrators scrambled for ways to communicate with parents and students. In Biloxi, Miss., Superintendent Paul Tisdale got creative and used a Weblog to relay information about school conditions and schedules.

“We are seeing that the districts that were fortunate enough to use funding to build out IT infrastructure faired much better than those that were forced to rely on outdated, often paper-based systems,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of the Consortium for School Networking. “The value of federal programs like E-Rate and EETT simply cannot be overstated.”

EETT is an initiative of the No Child Left Behind Act and is designed to enable schools to assess student progress, access courses online and provide students with employment tools.

Fifty percent of EETT funds are allocated by a poverty-weighted formula and the other 50 percent by competition. Schools are given broad discretion on what technology tools they acquire, but at least 25 percent of funds must be used for professional development.

As a part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 the E-Rate program provides $2.25 billion each year for discounts on telecommunications service to public and private schools as well as public libraries. Discount rates are based on the federal free and reduced price lunch program, so the lowest income applicants receive the largest discounts.

For more information on emerging technologies, visit www.cosn.org/resources/emerging_technologies/.

-- Mary Robbins, Contributing NEA Writer
November 15, 2005