Does your school have E-Rate? Are you signed up for E-Rate? Have you filled out the paperwork for E-Rate? Wait...What.Is.E-Rate?
I have heard about E-Rate for about 3 months now and been asked the above questions, repeatedly...and honestly I thought "We don't have it now, we don't need to worry about it". Well, that was until I started working on that dreaded thing called BUDGET and I realized that we needed to find some ways to save our school some money. So, I questioned one my colleagues that asked if I was using E-Rate for our school, what exactly is E-Rate. Her response was a simple one that I liked..."it is a way for your school to save money on their telephone and internet bill"! YES!!! Save money, sign me up! That is when I started doing research (and lucky for me, it fits into my EDU 617 class!).
So, the question is what is E-Rate..."E-Rate is the commonly used name for the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund, which is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (SUAC) under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission(FCC)" (From Wikipedia). Got it? Question answered? Probably not....So, let's try again. E-Rate is a program that provides discounts to assist schools and libraries in the United States to obtain affordable telecommunications and Internet access. A great way to help your budget by saving you money on your telecommunications. Though the Archdiocese of Omaha has cautioned that you do not incorporate the E-Rate discounts into your school budget because funding can vary from year to year.
Okay, so now how do I receive the funding? Thankfully the Archdiocese has complied a great brochure called Understanding E-Rate (or if you will...E-Rate for Dummies), thank you Doug Zauha! In order for your school to be successful in establishing E-Rate funds, it takes time, effort, and patience; it is even suggested to establish an E-Rate Team at your school (I have a team, it includes me, myself, and I). There are two categories associated with E-Rate, Category I and Category II. Each has its own requirements for filing (which I am talking more about in my paper) and the filing window goes from late November through March (so I have plenty of time to get this finished up)! ;) Also, within the Categories, you have Form 470, Form 471, and Form 486, all of which have different guidelines and requirements to file for their specific benefits. Thankfully I have been scheduled to talk with an E-Rate expert tomorrow (not sure on the time yet) to help me learn about and how to file for E-Rate. It is suggested that I compile a binder which includes Build Entity Number (BEN), BEN password, and patience. Do you think it is a bad thing if I have no idea what a BEN is, not to mention the password. (I will let you know how this meeting goes). I have the patience part of the equation! I have also done some research so know a little more about this than I did a month ago. I also think that had I been aware of this prior to us installing all our new infrastructure, wiring, etc. we could have gotten a discount on some of those costs; I do intend to ask if it is still possible to ask for assistance even though they have been installed.
So, I hope you have learned a little bit about E-Rate, I am going to continue my research and get this E-Rate business figured out before the filing window closes! I am not sure you learned anything from this blog, but it was entertaining for me to put what is going on in my head down on "paper". Please pray we don't get any snow here, I put the shovel away! God Bless.
Jenn-
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for tackling this topic. I had no idea such a thing existed and I would really like to read your paper to become more educated on this topic. How exactly did you stumble upon this? At this point have you determined what your savings will be? What strings are attached in this program? When you talk about the suggestion of having an E-Rate team (sorry to hear it is just you, I hope that "me and myself" hold their weight :-)) would that typically consist of a financial director for the school, the principal and...?
I hope from your phone calls, documents and research you are feeling better about this topic and find a great benefit for your school!
How about the snow...how much did you guys end up getting?
Happy Easter!
Candace,
ReplyDeleteI was actually asked about this from other rural principals. I have learned it relays on your free/reduced numbers and other factors. We could possibly receive a 40-50% discount on our internet bill. It is a lengthy process I am also coming to find out, but worth it inn my opinion! There really are no "strings" just certain procedures you have to follow.
Ugh...snow!! We have gotten about 8 inches!! 🙄 I am ready for spring minus the snow. Our travel to mass in morning could be interesting!! We live on six miles of gravel before the highway...good thing we have four wheel drive!! Happy Easter!
Jenn,
ReplyDeleteExcellent post on a topic that can be incredibly confusing. Our school receives E-rate discounts and although I have helped with the application process, it is still somewhat foggy to me. In reading your post one thing really stood out to me. Implementing an E-rate team is a great idea. Right now the principal and myself are the only two meeting with Doug from the Omaha Archdiocese to discuss E-rate. Sadly with so many other responsibilities we can't always give this the time it deserves. We plan to apply for a technology grant and the information you have already shared as well as your research findings will definitely be of value for us as we proceed. Thanks for such a thorough and easy to understand post!
Jenn-
ReplyDeleteWhat a great example of a leader attempting to use resources strategically. While e-rate is complicated and cumbersome it is worth all of your efforts. Stay strong and thanks for the overview, very helpful.
Thankfully, the expert Diane knows E-rate filing inside and out and has our school on the site awaiting our "bid period" which is the 28 day window you have to let local carriers know what type of services you want/need for your school and they can then give you bids. You have to keep a matrix with a rubric (I know rubrics) to rate each carrier and in the end the one with the best score will be your carrier. So, now we wait...I have found the USAC website VERY helpful in this journey. Will I be an expert when I am done with this...I'm thinking...no!
ReplyDeleteJenn,
ReplyDeleteI just finished my paper on E-rate and it was really cool to read about your perspective. I knew absolutely nothing about E-Rate before starting this module and most of the information I found on it was from the FCC and USAC website so I really appreciated reading about your actual experience with E-Rate. Good luck with the process and I am excited to read about how it plays out.
Jenn,
ReplyDeleteI will try writing this again as I went to preview and my words were lost in the great unknown. This year is the first time I have heard the words "E-rate" and that was from our technology teacher who is also our grant writer along with the other hats she wears. You did a nice job of explaining the process. It sounds like you are getting a lot of hands on experience which will help you be a more successful leader. Anytime the words "save money" are spoken I am sure administrators tend to listen more intently especially around budget time. I think every administrator needs a blueprint or a school manual at their fingertips that lets us know what programs their school participates in and all that other information that someone in their building takes care of for them in case that person leaves. In a smaller school, when you have staff members who wear different hats and that person leaves it can leave you scrambling.
Hi Jennifer! Your post is well timed, because even though I wrote about it in my research paper, I did not know exactly how E-rate could be obtained. So, as a school leader in the future, I can look for a brochure to help and you would recommend looking into getting an agreement with E-rate before beginning the remodeling! I think E-rate is great, and I am glad these funds are out there for us.
ReplyDeleteDaniel,
DeleteYes, I would consider E-Rate and what it has to offer as far as discounts before you spend money on anything. It will not cover all your costs, but there are some infrastructure things that you could get a discount on. I found the USAC (Schools and Libraries page) very helpful with this whole process. It is great that these funds are there for us, though the application process could be a little easier. However, I suppose you could look at it as...if you want to be given the discount you have to do a the work. Good luck!
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ReplyDeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this explanation of E-rate. I have seen this mentioned and have wondered what it is. Your explanation was easy to follow and enjoyable to read. I am curious to know how your meeting with the expert went. You will be the expert soon and a great resource for others. You should do a webinar on it! I will be asking our librarian and principal tomorrow if we have considered or are in the process of applying for E-rate. Thank you for the informative blog.