State College, Pa, July 1, 2010 – The FCC is proposing to eliminate web hosting from the list of E-Rate eligible services. For many school districts, this proposal would force them to find funding for their website hosting from other existing and limited budgets. Districts and other constituents have until July 9 to make their opinions heard by the FCC. Comments can be filed at the FCC website at http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs. Information on the proposal and a forum to collaborate with district peers is available at http://www.schoolwires.com/FCC/erate/webhosting.

“School administrators consistently tell us that their district and school websites and the infrastructure that supports them (web hosting) are instrumental in attracting and retaining families, and building stronger connections with their communities,” said Edward S. Marflak, CEO and President of Schoolwires. “Equally important, the engagement and educational tools provided through the websites help improve teaching and learning outcomes through increased parental and student engagement, by extending learning time beyond typical classroom hours, and individualizing and transforming classroom learning.”

In a recent survey of Schoolwires’ clients, 100 percent of respondents stated that their district and school websites provide an ongoing mechanism for family and community engagement; and 95 percent responded that it provides a forum to inform community stakeholders, such as parents, parent organizations, taxpayers and community-based organizations of school and school district activities, needs and opportunities to get involved. In addition, the national Speak-Up Research Study by Project Tomorrow found that “60% of the parents value the district’s website as their top choice for driving student achievement.”

“Providing reliable, secure and ongoing communications with our constituents is critical to the success of our district and our students,” said Wayde B. Byard, Public Information Officer, Loudoun County Public Schools. “And the avenue for these communications is our portal supported by off-site hosting. It is so important that we will cut personnel before we eliminate off-site hosting. However, we would rather not make that choice. We oppose the Federal Government’s proposal to eliminate web hosting from the list of E-Rate eligible services, and we strongly encourage other districts to do the same.”

The FCC’s Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) seeking comments regarding the continued eligibility of web hosting services through the E-rate program, as well as the proposed 2011 E-Rate Eligible Services List (ESL), were published in the Federal Register in June. Comments need not be long or detailed, but comments submitted in support of continued web hosting eligibility will be important as part of the FCC’s consideration. Filing FCC comments can be done easily online without any formal legalese. In the simplest format, a paragraph or two can be submitted directly into the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System using the “Express” option on the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) web page.

About Project Tomorrow
Project Tomorrow is a national education nonprofit organization. The vision of Project Tomorrow is to ensure that today’s students are well prepared to be tomorrow’s innovators, leaders and engaged citizens of the world. The organization believes that by supporting the innovative uses of science, math and technology resources in K-12 schools and communities, students will develop the critical thinking, problem solving and creativity skills needed to compete and thrive in the 21st century. Project Tomorrow approaches its mission through national research projects such as the Speak Up National Research Project, the replication of model excellence projects in schools and communities, online tools and resources for students, teachers and parents, and national and regional advocacy efforts. For more information, visit www.tomorrow.org

About Schoolwires, Inc.
Schoolwires provides strategic online communication, community-management and productivity solutions to the K-12 education market. The company’s core product is CentricityTM, which brings together robust and flexible website management, community management and web 2.0/social network capabilities in a single, user-centric solution. Schoolwires also delivers Schoolwires Synergy™, a digital file sharing solution; Schoolwires Assist™, a service request solution; and Schoolwires Share, an exclusive online client community and support center. Schoolwires works with nearly 1,200 districts, over 5,000 schools and an estimated 5 million users across the nation.
Schoolwires is recognized by Inc magazine as one of the top ten fastest growing private education companies across the nation for three consecutive years. Schoolwires ranks in the Inc. 500|5000 as the 605th fastest growing private companies after achieving Inc. 500 status overall for the previous two consecutive years.
Schoolwires is headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania, USA. The company is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in April 2010. For more information, visit www.schoolwires.com.