AKRON – Aging technology infrastructure at Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. could be improved this year thanks to changes being made to the E-rate program. Keith Lang, TVSC director of technology, said E-rate is the common name used to refer to a school’s library programs serviced by the Universal Service Fund. The fund was established in 1997 in compliance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Lang said it’s intended to promote universal access to telecommunication services. Two fees on each person’s phone bill help fund the program. Funding provides subsidies for Internet access and general telecommunication services to schools and libraries. The subsidies typically pay 20 to 90 percent of costs based on need. In 2013, it paid $2.2 billion and has paid over $26 billion since 1998, Lang said. Valley’s share is based on its free and reduced lunch population. In the past, Valley has only been eligible for tier 1 services – telephone and Internet services. With the new funding year, changes have been made to the funding formulas to help rural schools. Valley will lose funding for video conferencing services and web hosting fees. Phone costs also will go up 20 percent each year over the next four years. But the benefit to Valley, Lang said, will be that the school corporation will receive $150 per student total over the next five years for category II services. Lang said that’s approximately over $235,000 to Valley’s infrastructure. “Even though they say this is a five-year plan, (the Universal Service Administrative Company) only guarantees us funds for two years,” Lang said. This year, he said Valley will apply for $235,000 and see how much it gets. The maximum it can get at $150 per student is $235,800, though it has a student enrollment of 1,965. The corporation’s commitment is $58,950, he said. A determination of what to do with the funding has already been made. Valley has posted Requests for Pricing to replace switches in Main Distribution Frames and Intermediate Distribution Frames in all its buildings, replace its firewall, install cabling to properly mount wireless access points at Mentone and add additional access points at the high school and Mentone. Lang said Valley should hear back on the RFPs by late March, but he guessed the cost would be between $200,000 and $215,000. Last year, the school corporation budgeted $60,000 for infrastructure needs for 2015. If all goes as planned, the infrastructure work should be completed by early August, Lang estimated. If Valley doesn’t get all the funding this year, he said they could apply again next year. In the next two to five years, Lang said Valley will look at its server virtualization fiber between the middle and high schools and additional wireless access needs it may have. During public comments, patron Bob Foltz told the board that before it does an Akron Elementary School building project, it needs to improve the corporation’s academics. He said he wanted to know why some things at Valley were happening, like the state giving the school corporation a “C” grade and enrollment dwindling. Bryan Murphy, board president, said Superintendent Brett Boggs had his name and will get back to him on those concerns. Later in the meeting, the board approved a policy revision altering the order of business at monthly board meetings. The revision moves “items from visitors” up from item F to item C. Murphy said the idea came from board member Todd Hoffman so that community members don’t have to sit through all the other agenda items. He said the change will start in March. In other business, the school board: • Tabled until the March meeting requests for Sunday afternoon facility usage at TVHS for fourth-grade boys basketball and indoor soccer practice. • Approved hiring Jessica Creekmore as a nurse at TVMS. Boggs said it will bring a full-time nurse to the middle school as at the high school. • Heard a thanks from parent Chris Morehouse for bringing Jeff Yalden to TVHS. Yalden will speak on youth suicide prevention Feb. 16 and 17. Murphy said the community worked to bring Yalden, but the board was glad to have him come. “I think it will be a good two days,” Boggs said. • Approved a resolution to amend the North Central Indiana Special Education Cooperative Jointly Operated Programs and Services Agreement. • Accepted the resignation of Roger Moriarty as the boys and girls golf coach at TVHS. • Recognized the TVMS State Spell Bowl Team/Running Rivers Conference Champion Spell Bowl Team. Principal Scott Backus said it’s the third year in a row the team made it to the state finals. It finished fourth in Class II. “These guys had to learn 1,600 words to qualify and participate in this event,” Backus said. • Recognized Kosciusko County Spelling Bee middle school division runner-up Billy Gillman. He was the TVMS spelling bee champion. • Recognized the TVMS band students who participated in the Honor Band and state solo and ensemble competition. • Recognized the TVMS seventh-grade undefeated football RRC champions. It’s the team’s second year as conference champions. • Recognized Paul Deeds and the Success Club at TVMS. Success Club meets after school and during school resource time for kids who are at-risk, with the goal to increase attendance and grades and decrease referrals. Funding comes from Kosciusko County Educational Development. • Recognized KEYS representative Hannah Jansma. • Announced upcoming board meetings will be March 9 at TVHS; April 20 at Akron Elementary; and May 11 at Mentone Elementary, all at 6 p.m.
