E-Rate Program Makes Next-Generation Web Lockers Technology More Affordable for K-12 Schools
Online File Sharing and Storage Categorized as Priority One E-Rate Eligible
SAN DIEGO – July 21, 2009 – As the 2009-2010 school year approaches, K-12 administrators across the U.S. are putting the final touches on budget plans, while also leveraging the government-funded E-Rate program to secure discounts on important technology additions to their campuses. Next-generation file sharing and storage services, such as those offered by School Web Lockers, have been designated as Priority One E-Rate eligible, which means all requests for funding year 2009 (Year 12) for this category of technology will be fulfilled.
School Web Lockers combines web-based storage, backup, collaboration and file sharing in a single system that specifically caters to the needs of K-12 education. The idea behind the technology is that students can create work on one computer, and then stash files in their personal web locker for completion later – either on the same computer, or on another one at home or elsewhere.
“All properly prepared requests for eligible Priority One E-Rate products and services receive funding approval, which is why school administrators should not hesitate to take advantage of the cost savings the program offers,” said Kelly Agrelius, manager of sales and marketing for School Web Lockers. “Especially during tough economic times, we’re happy to see so many of our customers benefit from substantial E-Rate discounts.”
Lamar Consolidated Independent School District, based in Rosenberg, Texas, has already leveraged E-Rate to receive a discount on its purchase of School Web Lockers technology. The district serves more than 22,000 students and operates 34 campuses. “We received a very solid discount with E-Rate, making it much more cost-effective for us to deploy School Web Lockers technology,” said Steve Hickman, director of technology for the district, which uses the file sharing and storage solution to provide students and teachers with anytime-anywhere access to computer-generated files and projects.
The process for filing for E-Rate funding for the 2010-11 school year is currently under way. The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), which administers the E-Rate program, is now accepting the initial form (FCC Form 470) from schools and districts. Officials suggest filing early so that any administrative errors can be corrected before the January 2010 deadline.
Since filing for E-Rate funding can be complex and time consuming, many schools and districts seek help from outside firms that specialize in the application process. These companies offer assistance from the technology plan development stage all the way through funding reimbursement, and everywhere in between.
With E-Rate, schools receive funding in the form of a discount on their purchase of eligible products and services. The discount is assigned by USAC based upon the school’s percentage of students eligible for free and reduced lunches under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Schools must cover the non-discounted portion of the products or services that they plan to obtain. In many cases, only a portion of the product or service is considered E-Rate eligible. School Web Lockers, for example, is 10 percent eligible. The school’s discount percentage is then applied to that eligible portion of the cost, with 90 percent being the maximum percentage allowed.
School Web Lockers offers unlimited storage capacity, complete firewall protection, and affordable pricing of only $1 per student per year,
In addition, it helps schools further their efforts toward a greener environment by allowing teachers to upload documents and post them directly into student web lockers – without the need for paper. A teacher can simply upload one document and post it in all student lockers instead of making multiple handout copies. In turn, students can complete an assignment on the computer and upload the document into the "homework due" folder, from which it is then sent directly to the teacher.
For more information on School Web Lockers, please call School Web Lockers at 1-866-499-6527 or visit www.schoolweblockers.com.
About School Web Lockers
School Web Lockers is a leading provider of cost-effective, web-based tools for collaboration, distance learning, one-to-one computing and online storage. Formed in 2004 as a division of San Diego-based Networld Solutions, Inc., School Web Lockers today serves hundreds of K-12 schools and school districts across the U.S. with secure, easy-to-use computing solutions for students, teachers and administrators. For more information, visit www.schoolweblockers.com or call 1-866-499-6527.
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