I would agree with this... I worked for a shchool that has 70% funding....
and cant buy even a battery backup for the server that was bought last year.
This year except for telephone nothing was allowed for schools under 85%
poverty. I dont need to spend 1-2 days figuring out how to write the new
reports just to get some funding to help with the telephone bills. My
schools need help with getting equipment both major, PC's and support
netowrking, battery backups, tape backups, etc. Lots of schools equipment is
becomeing older and antiquated and needs to be replaced. Students should be
learning on Pentium 300-400 mgz machines (or Mac similar) not 396,486
machines that cant handle a simple CD program, or cant have Office
installed.

I dont see the benifit... Now we are going to have to do filtering software
for all of our systems in order to get a little money for our telephone
systems

Jon Scherbatskoy


----- Original Message -----
From: Sigurd Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2000 10:17 AM
Subject: Re: USDOE update


> The report doesn't mention another significant barrier
> to using e-rate funding - the high RED TAPE overhead.
> It takes quite a bit of effort, particularly for
> someone new to the process, to put together an e-rate
> funding request. The lack of an indication of what is
> likely or not likely to get funding can lead to
> dissatisfaction as well. I put quite a bit of effort
> into requests last year that were refused. If there
> were an indication that organizations getting x%
> discounts were highly unlikely to get funding for
> requests in certain categories, it could save a lot
> of work.
>
> Sigurd Andersen
>
> Quoting Philip Hyjek <[log in to unmask]>:
>
> > ----------------------------------------
> > Technology Reports, Speech, & Conference
> > ----------------------------------------
> >      The Department released 2 reports this week at
> the Conference on
> > Educational
> >      Technology.  "E-Rate & the Digital Divide" tells
> that the
> >      E-Rate program has provided more than $3 billion
> for America's
> >      public schools, that 3 out of 4 public schools &
> districts
> >      applied in the first 2 years, & that per-pupil
> funding for
> >      high-poverty schools was more than twice the
> national average
> >      & nearly 10 times that of the wealthiest schools.
> > ...
> >      "Another challenge for us: While much of the
> funding for the
> >      E-Rate has gone to high-poverty schools," he
> said, "the
> >      poorest of the poor are not yet benefiting as
> much as they
> >      should from the E-Rate.  Many of the poorest
> schools can't
> >      even afford the 10% match or can't overcome
> other obstacles --
> >      such as 19th-century school buildings -- that
> prevent them
> >      from taking advantage of 21st-century
> technology."
> >
> >      The reports, speech, & conference papers are at
> >      http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/09-2000/000911.html
> >
> >      ------------------------------------
> >
> > Philip Hyjek
> > Information Technology Specialist
> > VISMT
> > Dillingham Hall
> > 7 West  Street
> > Montpelier, VT 05602
> >
> > 802.828.0063
> > 802.828.0076 (fax)
> > http://www.vismt.org