Daingerfield-Lone Star School District receives technology funding commitment

Daingerfield-Lone Star Independent School District administrators received a pleasant surprise March 5 when they learned they had received a funding commitment from Unitersal Service Administration Company for $831,000 in E-rate funds. These funds will allow the district to completely upgrade the district’s technology infrastructure.
The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) is an independent, not-for-profit organization created in 1997 to collect universal service contributions from telecommunications carriers and administer programs designed to help communities across the country secure access to affordable telecommunications services. 
Technology has great power to enhance the education process, but the hardware needed for assembling local networks, and maintenance of systems and machines can stretch budgets that are already under stress. According to Section706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC must act to ensure that innovative telecommunications technology is available to schools on an ongoing basis. The Schools and Libraries Program, a division of the universal service fund commonly known as E-Rate, makes discounts available to eligible schools and libraries for telecommunication services, Internet access, and internal connections. The program is intended to ensure that schools and libraries have access to affordable telecommunications and information services.
According to Superintendent Sandra Quarles, this project is something the district has been working on for a couple of years and they are excited to learn they have received the funding. These funds will allow the District to rebuild the district’s technology infrastructure and will include data and voice switches, a network phone system, wireless access points, a district firewall, and much more.  Upgrading the infrastructure will allow the District to expand the use of digital textbooks and implement the use of handheld devices for educational purposes.  Plans are to begin the work on this project immediately, and it is anticipated that the project will be completed during the summer.