In one of the most vivid examples yet of how constricting state budgets have come to bear on school technology, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on Sept. 4 announced a major reorganization that includes the elimination of at least 200 jobs and the liquidation of its educational technology division, long considered a national bellwether for school technology planning and programs.

The cuts seem to forebode difficult changes across the country as an economic downturn of historic proportions continues to take its toll on school technology spending from coast to coast.

For Texans, the news calls into question the future of millions of dollars in technology-centered programs and services meant to bolster everything from educator training to student achievement.

On the chopping block, according to the agency's communications director, Debbie Ratcliffe, is the Texas-State Telecommunications Access Resource (T-STAR) network, a statewide initiative that provides television communications and videoconferencing to school districts, regional education service centers, and the agency itself.

In the past, according to the program's web site, Texas students and educators have turned to T-STAR to expand their curriculum and educational resources through satellite-delivered, for-credit courses, curriculum-enhancement programming, electronic field trips, and professional development teleconferences from programming providers across the country.

Ratcliffe said educators across the state relied heavily on the network's 200-plus hours of professional development courses, including programs for Standards Certificate renewal. TEA officials say the only way the program will continue is if it receives additional funding from outside the agency.

But it isn't just T-STAR that's in jeopardy. Ratcliffe said the fate of a number of state ed-tech programs and initiatives hangs in the balance. "There are definitely some programs that probably will not continue because we just don't have the staff," she said. "The fate of some of these programs is still in flux." Most of these decisions will not be made until the reorganization is complete.

Jim Hirsch, associate superintendent for technology services at the Plano, Texas, Independent School District, said the extent of the cuts goes beyond anything he had envisioned.

"This was totally unexpected by most of the [school district chief technology officers] in Texas," he said. "We were aware of cuts that were mandated for TEA but were never invited to be part of any discussion that would have abolished the entire department."

Hirsch said he was concerned about a number of initiatives, including the state's recently launched virtual school pilot program, as well a new web-based technology planning tool. Under former ed-tech director Anita Givens' leadership, the state recently had developed a web-based tool to help school districts write and update their technology plans.