E-Rate funds value to Maine schools ‘immense’

WASHINGTON – A federal program designed to bridge the digital divide and get children on the Internet has not only been successful, it’s providing crucial support for libraries and schools in states such as Maine that are cutting programs to deal with budget shortfalls, according to a report on the E-Rate program.

“In the five years since we established this program, the impact on Maine schools and communities has been immense,” said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine and author of the provision that created E-Rate.

The report says the program has leveled the playing field for poor and rural students.

“Largely as a result of E-Rate we now know 90 percent of public school classrooms have Internet access,” said Kathleen Abernathy, a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission. “It’s truly an equalizer and a levelizer for so many students.”

Since its creation as part of the 1996 Federal Telecommunications Act, E-Rate has doled out more than $10.3 billion to schools across the country, including almost $21 million for largely rural Maine.

The report, from the Education and Libraries Networks Coalition, was released during an event at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington this week. The report singled out Skowhegan Area Middle School, where students are using the Internet to research local Native American tribes and then present their findings to students at other area schools.

David Person, director of technology services for the school, said such a project would be impossible without the extra funding.

“The maximum amount of bandwidth available through our T1 line is being used every single day,” he said. “There is no way we could support this level of Internet connectivity without support from E-Rate.”

The program is especially helping states like Maine, where budget shortfalls are forcing legislators to consider cutting education services.

“The E-Rate ensures at least some financial support,” said Anne Bryant, executive director of the National School Boards Association.

The program works by offering school districts and public libraries the chance to apply for discounts on telecommunications technology that range from 20 percent to 90 percent, depending on criteria such as the number of students receiving free or reduced lunches. The $2.25 billion meted out each year comes from telecommunications companies, as required under the 1996 Telecommunications Act.

Each year, hundreds of schools and libraries in Maine receive funds from the program. Some range from as little as $100 to several thousand dollars. Maine usually receives a little more than $3 million overall, but in 2001 managed to get $6.4 million.

Bangor High School got $9,960 worth of assistance in both 2002 and 2003. The Bangor Public Library received $15,102 in 2002 and $14,894 in 2003.

In Lewiston, the library got about $1,300 for both years while the Lewiston School Department pulled in a total of $25,889 in E-rate assistance.

Bryant said the program has an accountability uncommon of government programs and even helps schools comply with requirements in President Bush’s No Child Left Behind legislation, including tracking student progress and communicating with parents. Both those are made easier through databases and e-mail.

In addition, she said the availability of computers gives rural students the same 21st century learning skills as their urban counterparts. Those skills include problem solving, teamwork and critical thinking.

At the high school level the report found that technology was allowing students to take Advanced Placement courses that normally would not be offered. The report said it was clear schools valued these funds because of the time and energy that was going into their applications.

E-Rate also is helping special education students, such as those at The Good Will-Hinckley School in Fairfield. The school, for at-risk students is using the technology to communicate with caseworkers, perform job searches and improve the entire communication process at the school, officials there said in the report.