I'll be (working from) home for Christmas!

With the Christmas Holidays (or Winter Break for those of you so inclined) fast approaching, it might be helpful to look at your options of getting some work done while you are away from the campus.

After all the shopping, parties, and gatherings with family and friends, you might just need to sneak off to the office for a while. Here are a few ideas to help you do so without going out in the cold!

The need to access resources inside your school network is the natural result of a maturing infrastructure.  Being able to do important tasks at the office while you are at home or while traveling or on vacation can dramatically improve your administrative oversight. And the ability to remotely access your computer at work is a necessity as workloads continue to encroach upon personal time.

Getting the big picture about remote access and then understanding your options might be helpful in deciding which method or technology is best suited for you. Without a basic understanding and game plan, the implementation of remote access can be a harrowing experience and very confusing. Let’s consider a few options.

From a practical standpoint, there are three methods of interacting with computers and resources in your organization from afar. There are other methods, including VNC, a popular open source solution, but my experience with these other solutions is that they require a higher degree of technical skill, both to install and to use. Our mandate is to keep things simple.

Depending upon the task at hand you may want to use all three of the following methods, which include:

1. Website or web browser based programs
2. Virtual Private Network or VPN
3. Remote Desktop Connection or RDP

Website or browser based programs

Using browser based technologies to connect to resources in your organization is likely the simplest way to access remote resources, unless you have a firewall with remote access features. You have probably seen ads for “GoToMyPC.com” or “Logmein.com”.  This option requires you to visit a provider’s website, create a user account, and then download and install their software.

You then complete this same process on computers to be remotely controlled, by logging into your account installing the same software on each machine to be managed remotely. As you install the remote control software on each remote PC, you will see an icon that represents it in your list of controllable computers.  And if you manage all of your computers in one account, you can control any one of them, at any time by clicking on the icon that represents that specific computer.

The advantage of this type of access is that it is pretty reliable (based upon my own experience) and relatively easy to use. The most complex part of the process is understanding which role you are playing when you are installing the software and getting it set up properly. And be sure to record your passwords or access codes.

The disadvantage of this type of access is that it costs money. It is a subscription based service that will cost about $10.00 per month per machine you wish to control. There are some free versions (www.logmein.com) but they restrict the things you can do while connected using the free version in order to encourage you to buy a full-featured subscription.

It is important to understand that when you use this type of remote access you are only remotely controlling the remote PC. Read this statement slowly three times – I am remotely controlling my remote PC. When you disconnect from the remote PC, the work you have accomplished remains there, unless you specifically transfer the files to your controlling PC or laptop. And there may be challenges associated with getting that file transferred back to your current location.

This is an important concept to understand, because if you spend an hour working on a Power Point presentation at the office. It’s at the office! Saving it back to your home PC or Laptop is not always easy. Additionally, you must have the same software installed on your home PC or Laptop to use the file just created.

Bottom line; understand the inherent limitations of remotely controlling your office computer.

Virtual Private Networks

A VPN connection is an excellent choice for remote access to your network. But it is important to understand how a VPN connection works and the planning required using it. The most common VPN scenario associates your firewall device, installed to protect your network from outside intrusion, to your remote computer via software. The software facilitates the connection by opening a secure pathway across the Internet and through your firewall, to your remote computer. These client programs are normally manufacturer specific, designed to work only with your firewall, and provisioned with a security key or token to verify your identity.

A VPN connection is like virtually connecting an Ethernet cable into your network hub at the office. Just imagine a very long cable from the server room out the door, along the street, up your driveway, and into your den at home and you will get the concept. But that is all a VPN connection will do for you…, give you a remote connection. This alone may not provide you with the remote experience you desire because of the network security built into computers, printers, servers, and other devices at the school.

Think of it this way: you can take any PC or Laptop to the school and plug it into the network, but your connection may be restricted to just a few resources. Unless your PC or Laptop at home is joined to the school’s network, you may only have a connection to the Internet and access to very generously shared resources.

When correctly planned an implemented, a VPN connection can be as close to a seamless or transparent connection to your school network as possible. But it has to be correctly implemented and you need to understand the consequence of that implementation.

For example, joining your home PC or Laptop to the Domain at the school may interrupt the small peer to peer network in your home. And changing from a workgroup to a domain and back may cause you a significant amount of grief. You may even loose important files and documents. (A workgroup is the most common way to create a shared broadband connection at home with DSL or Cable Internet service. A Domain is the network security model used in most schools.)

The benefits of VPN are quite remarkable. You simply turn on your remote PC or Laptop and do your tasks. Since you are part of the network, you will have full access to your email, your shared folders, and Client/Server based applications such as QuickBooks, Microsoft Office, Microsoft SQL, etc.

Remote Desktop

No discussion of remote access would be complete without considering Remote Desktop Connection, or Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), a very useful tool built into all Windows XP and later Microsoft Windows based computers. It is similar to web based remote access technologies in that it allows your home PC or Laptop screen to display your office screen in a real time remote control session. In Windows 7, the Remote Desktop program is found at the Start Menu > All Programs > Accessories folder.

Properly setup, RDP works great. It is quick, reliable, not subject to constant fiddling, and allows you to control both local and remote resources, i.e. local and remote hard drives, printers, and CD’s. And once you are plugged into the network, it can find computers by name.

The challenge in setting up and using remote desktop is twofold. First you must know the name or IP address of the machine you wish to control. And second you must get through the firewall protecting your network. Remote Desktop uses Domain Name Services (DNS) to translate computer names to network addresses, so setting it up can be a little tricky.

RDP is generally a set it and forget it type of configuration. Once it finds your remote desktop, it will remember the settings and allow you to connect quickly by clicking on an icon located on your desktop.

Using RDP will require your network administrator to open a port in your firewall and then route your RDP session to the correct PC. And don’t forget that the on premises user always wins with RDP. In other words, if you are using RDP and someone at the office touches your mouse or presses a key on your keyboard, you will get disconnected. And unlike a browser based technology where users on both ends can see the screen, RDP will not display both the remote and local session at once.

Summary

Technical Support has been completely revolutionized by remote access technologies. It is a fundamental component of providing support services to the schools we manage. And we use each one of these different methods extensively.

As a school administrator, the benefits of remote access should be very obvious to you. Choosing which method to use may be a little less clear and will depend in large measure on what specific task you need to accomplish. It will be further determined by your network infrastructure, Internet bandwidth, installed software, and level of technical support to set it up.

Feel free to call if you need assistance in deciding which of these remote access methods will work best for you. And don’t wait until the holidays begin, you have to set these solutions up while at school – it is quite difficult to do this entirely from home.

One final note: Remote access is not the same thing as working collaboratively with other team members who may also be remote. That kind of anytime, anywhere, access to your important files is a function of your core technology infrastructure. Search this site for articles about Office 365 for Education for more information.

New Math – How 75% = 90%, and why you should do this calculation

I have a confession to make. After 4 years of expounding the merits of the eRate program, I realized last week that my calculations were way off – well sort of.  In a recent teleconference with two new Charter School who are considering the merits of filing for Priority 2 services, the subject of discount rates came up. And my math was wrong – is yours?

The general criterion for eRate reimbursement is a measure of the free & reduced lunch population at a given school. Although this number can often be improved upon significantly, by doing household income surveys, many schools simply don’t bother.

The thinking, I presume, is that with reimbursement thresholds hovering around 90%, there is little chance of getting reimbursed for Priority 2 items – which typically include the big ticket expenditures for servers, network gear, and connectivity. Only problem is that 75% equals 90%, at least according to eRate!

Say what??? That was my reaction, too.

Yes indeed, that equation is actually correct! According to the USAC discount matrix, if 75% of your student population is economically disadvantaged (as evidenced by free and reduced lunch counts, or household surveys) then you are at a 90% discount rate!

If only my test scores in college worked on the same principal!

And consider one other interesting report. In 2010, there was no discount criteria applied to any Priority 2 services. Indeed, every school that properly filed for eRate reimbursement for FY2010-11 received that reimbursement, regardless of their discount rate.  Unconventional, yes;   possible again in this fiscally stimulated administration? Perhaps …

 Now were talking quantum physics, not just math!

So what does this have to do with your particular situation? Well, precisely nothing if you follow the normal mode of ignoring eRate reimbursement for your school.  Astonishing as this seems, that is exactly what many Charter Schools are doing – nothing.

If soomeone were to offer you a 40%-60% discount on groceries for the school cafeteria, by filing a few forms. You would surely jump at the chance. What is the logic that keeps you from doing the same for your technology expenses?

Let’s review a general list of services eligible for reimbursement:

Priority 1 Services: (always reimbursed without discount rate considerations)

•  Fiber optic internet connections
• Telephone, fax, cell phones, and other types of internet access (DSL, wireless, etc.)
• Website hosting
• Email services
• Installation and configuration of the above

Priority 2 Services: (reimbursed according to a discount rate threshold)

• Internal Connections – equipment used for transport of digital information (excluding endpoints)
• Network components – routers, firewalls, switches, decoders, hubs, etc.
• Servers – email servers or servers providing an eligible service
• Wiring – wire and cabling to connect your eligible services
• Wireless Access Points and controllers
• Basic maintenance for all the above

Both of the aforementioned schools were under the impression, that there was no point in filing for eRate – aside from the Priority 1 services that are reimbursed to all schools. It is worth noting that their perception was shaped in some measure at a state eRate training event. (And no I don’t suspect a conspiracy against charter schools.) Even more puzzling is the fact that both schools serve minority populations with normally high economic need!

 

So what have you got to lose? Well, possibly thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. And the unfortunate reality is, due to allocations across fiscal years and other moving measures at USAC, you will ultimately only know your eligibility by filing.

 

In these difficult financial times, it seems extraordinary that reimbursement for technology services would be so inadequately managed. No doubt that eRate is a complex, time sensitive, form intensive, and deadline driven process. But that is not an acceptable excuse.

 

Perhaps a dose of good old fashioned determination is in order. One of my favorite quotes is “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased. (Heber J. Grant) Can you really afford to not manage this opportunity?

 

But then that brings up another favorite subject – informal logic. Why go through the trouble of filing for eRate, if you can outsource it for less than the cost of the reimbursement you will receive? If you would like to have a conversation with an eRate expert, call us. And then we will refer you to an expert!

 

USAC rules prohibit service providers, which we are, from providing certain eRate functions to ensure a fair bidding process.  So I conclude with this disclaimer. The above information is intended to be general in nature and for educational purposes only. Please contact your certified (yes this is a professional designation) eRate Management Professional for information regarding your specific circumstances.

 

And you might want to do that sooner than later, the eRate filing window will close in a few short months!

 

For the official list of eligible services, go to http://www.usac.org/sl/applicants/beforeyoubegin/eligible-services-list.aspx

Tis the season to do eRate, File-a-li-la-la the forms today!

I love the Christmas season, now termed the Holiday season by those more politically correct. As a technology provider for schools, it marks the start of the annual gift giving season by the Universal Services Administrative Company for eligible technology hardware and services.

The gifts are in the form of reimbursements through the eRate program, and you might not be getting your fair share!

Like me, you may not generally favor government largesse; but  the eRate program is reasonably well run, self-funded, and designed to support the most financially disadvantaged student populations (among other institutions). Take a look at your last telephone bill – mobile or otherwise – and you will see a small fee titled Federal Universal Services Fee. That is the source of the funding – everybody pays a little.

Charter Schools, unfortunately are more likely to receive a proverbial “lump of coal” in their Christmas – woops – Holiday stockings, than traditional school's. The reason is simple, it takes a level of expertise and a significant investment of time to wade through the myriad of forms, compliances, and dates associated with the program. Many Charter Schools simply don’t have the resources to successfully do this.

What a shame!

In a nutshell, there are two broad categories of reimbursements you can receive; they are labeled in the eRate program as Priority 1 eligible services and Priority 2 eligible services. Priority 1 services consist primarily of Internet, Telephone, Email, and Website Hosting Services. Priority 2 services consist of hardware components and services used within you’re your building to connect, route, secure, and deliver technology to end users.
 
These expenses are reimbursed at a rate roughly equivalent to your free and reduced lunch count percentages. Priority 1 services are always eligible for reimbursement; Priority 2 services have discount level thresholds, technology plans, and additional requirements.

What is the easiest way to participate in this annual gift giving? It might not be as difficult as you would think.

Here are a few  things you can do to improve your chances of having a Happier eRate Holiday:

1. Identify state eRate consortiums and join them

Check with your state office of education to see if there is an eRate Consortium. If one exists, they will often handle your Priority 1 items.  In fact some states will give you a steal of a deal on broadband AND help you file the eRate forms to boot.
Give yourself plenty of time. These organizations can be quite bureaucratic and move at a snails pace, but the value proposition can be excellent.

2. Verify that your telecom provider has an eRate department

If your state does not offer broadband, your telephone company should have the resource to help you file for your eRate reimbursement. In fact, you might even find a provider that will only bill you for the unreimbursed costs of your telephone, internet, and fax lines. It is common to bundle internet service with your telephone, especially in rural areas.

Be careful, you still must comply with the eRate program for both priorities and you can easily run afoul of the rules when your telecom sales representative gets involved.

3. Don’t forget your email and webhosting costs

While normally not significant, email services and web hosting costs are always eligible for eRate reimbursement, regardless of your discount rate. If you are settling for a third rate website and the crappy email system that comes attached to it, do yourself a huge favor, upgrade your email and website system and get reimbursed for doing so. It makes the cost very reasonable, and you will likely get huge productivity improvements to boot!

4. Outsource the entire eRate filing process to a professional

The adage of “Penny wise, pound foolish” is my favorite description of those who elect not to choose door #4. In the decade of my involvement with Charter Schools, I have seen very large sums of money lost because school administrators thought they could do this on their own.

Freestanding and independent Charter Schools lack the economy of scale to compete on the eRate playing field. Traditional school districts often have full time staffers just for this purpose.
 
The most common mistake is to presume an incorrect discount rate (there are ways to improve it significantly rather than just counting free and reduced lunch percentages), then buy the prevailing wisdom that you do not qualify for the big ticket Priority 2 items. And the results are both predictable and deplorable. All it takes is a cursory search on the USAC website to demonstrate how poorly most charter schools fare in receiving Priority 2 reimbursements.

Did you know that in in 2010, every school at every discount rate received their Priority 2 funding!  There are multi-year adjustments to the funding pool, and even the most seasoned eRate professionals don’t really know where the exact cutoff will fall for Priority 2 funding.

Don't listen to the naysayers that Priority 2 funding is impossible to acheive. It's bad advice!

Summary

When you are faced with critical tasks that require a high degree of specialization, but for only small projects or periods of time, it is usually best to outsource the task. This is exactly our position about the design and engineering aspect of your technology infrastructure.  Likewise, eRate is a highly specialized process, which trained professionals can manage in a fraction of the time you would spend.

Don’t brush this matter off for another year! Locate an eRate consultant, one who is a Certified eRate Management Professional, and invest in their services. You do it for special ed, technology, finance, and many other tasks – why not for eRate.

‘Tis the season to do eRate, and have a much happier holiday… or Merry Christmas, as the case may be by getting your share of the eRate gift giving.  

Advice for Tom Luna (that he never asked for)

As part of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools annual conference, I enjoyed the thoughful remarks of Idaho Superintendant of Schools, Tom Luna. And in spite of a few not so complimentary observations of my family who live in the gem state (and are educators), I found his comments to be spot on, with one small exception...

To avoid being political, I will simply observe that the challenges he addresses are real, the solutions are a little painful and scary for those so tenured, and his vision of the future for our kids is genuine. But his push for the state to buy an endpoint (laptop, tablet, digital device, etc.) for each student is misguided on two fronts.

First of all it will dramatically increase the cost of providing an education without a commensurate return on education outcomes. Second it's not about endpoints, Mr. Kuna, its about the infrastructure connecting the endpoints.

Let's look at the cost side first. Just how long will a laptop, tablet, or digital device (hereinafter "endpoint") last in the hands of a typical student? I can envision all kinds of funny explanations of the endpoints demise... dropped it in the toilet, used it for my food tray, left it on the bus, forgot to bring it in from the pool during a rainstorm, let it slip out of my hands, let my kid brother use it, took it to the beach..... you get the picture.

If the student had to do 40 hours of community service to earn the endpoint, then I would be all in. But with no skin in the game these endpoints will have no perceived value and will treated accordingly. Then the administration of those endpoints will become an enormous burden for the IT staff who are tasked with managing them.

Is an entitlement program for computers fundamentally different than other government entitlement programs. I think not, enough already!

Besides, just how many kids do you know today that don't have an Internet based phone, a PC (or two) at home, a dozen computers available at any time in the school, or an endpoint already of their own. Require students to manage their own endpoints outside of the school, it will help them be responsible for their own stuff. And manage school owned endpoints inside the school, where it can be done efficiently and with reasonable oversight.

Now let's turn to the infrastructure connecting our endpoints, which I can tell you is a bigger problem in rural Idaho than most places. All the endpoints in the world are of little value in transmitting knowledge if there is no connectivity. And even where there is connectivity, that in and of itself does not create the infrastructure needed to store, share, and collaborate on creative work. And Facebook is probably not the solution!

You need a system to transport, store, share, and account for information that is managed by the institutions who are guiding students in the learning process. You need reliable, SPAM free, and compliant email. You need shared resources, with permission based access control. And you need communication tools that engage students and connect them with instructional resources.

Happily, for the entire state of Idaho and Utah as well, Microsoft just announced a free version of Office 365 for Academic institutions. This is an amazing solution and really needs serious consideration. For a typical charter school with 25 staff and 400 kids, it is the equivalent of a $15,000 technology grant, combined with an administrative benefit  of a similar amount.

With Office 365 deployed (at little cost) into each school, you would then have all the infrastructure needed to deliver a 21st Century education. And you can do it on pretty much any endpoint you can think of inside or outside of the school. Office 365 works on almost any device, at any internet connected location, and at any time of day or night.

Vote No - for free endpoints, and Yes for Office 365!

That, Mr. Kuna, in all due respect, is how to fix your ambitious plan.

Virtualization - Part 3: Solving the Computer Lab Conundrum

In the two previous articles we explored the concept of Shared Resource Computing, termed virtualization, and described a few ways to deploy virtual machines in your school. Let’s get a little more practical and focus on the benefits of using virtualization in your computer lab.
A computer lab is the one common denominator in virtually (there goes another pun) every school we have managed.  Computer labs come in all sizes, shapes, and conditions. Although universal in usage, they vary widely in functionality, ranging from a collection of mostly broken, outdated computers donated to you after the end of their useful life to a collection of brand new ‘out of the box’ desktops.

Regardless of circumstance, there seems to be 5 universal challenges associated with computer labs:

1. Cost to acquire the hardware, network, and installation
2. Cost to maintain the high usage in a semi-hostile environment
3. Noise and heat levels that can distract students
4. Distractions of an endless variety  (as in the internet) during instruction
5. Consistent computing environment, especially during testing

Managing your computer lab may in fact be the most time consuming technical support requirement in your school. That tends to be the case in schools with higher grade levels (see my previous article about managing computers in a hostile environment). So in addition to reducing upfront costs, reducing ongoing costs will also be of great benefit.

 

There are many virtualization solutions available that address computer desktops (as opposed to servers), but don’t invest a lot of time exploring them.  In my view there is only one solution that adequately addresses the specific challenges associated with the computer lab in education.

 

That solution is Windows MultiPoint Server 2011, a computer operating system designed specifically for the computer lab at your school. It is the only solution that addresses the above listed challenges completely.

 

Let’s look at each one:

 

1. The cost savings experienced is directly proportional to the number of multi seat sessions you provision per server. We have tested 5:1 (five computing session to one server), but Microsoft advertises up to 20:1. Even at 10:1 you are only buying a fraction of the computer hardware.
2. There are no moving parts in the T200 Zero Clients we recommend, no hard drives, cooling fans, disk caddies, etc. Far fewer parts require far fewer repairs. Your administrative costs for the lab will plummet.
3. Put 25 – 30 computers in an average sized room and you are going to have heating and cooling issues. And the noise level of that environment has never been conducive to instruction and learning.
4. Having tried to instruct adults in technology training with the internet staring them in the face is a challenge. With kids it is nigh unto impossible. With MultiPoint Manager you control access to the internet, and point all computing sessions at once to where you want the students to go.
5. Testing preparation becomes a breeze. You simply sign in differently on testing day and the students are presented with a sterile testing environment, with appropriate controls in place to insure testing integrity.

A worldwide study conducted by Forrester Research concluded the following with respect to Microsoft MultiPoint Server technology:

 

• Teachers and students report that using a Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 station is as good, in terms of speed and performance, as if they were working on a traditional personal computer. 
• Overall student energy and enthusiasm is boosted when more students have a modern computing station to work on, instead of sharing an older machine and dated operating system amongst their classmates or having no computer access in the classroom at all.
• Teachers very much appreciate the administration and monitoring capabilities of the new MultiPoint Manager, with which they can direct and control class and individual students' lessons more effectively. The console is reported to be easy to learn, even for non-English speaking and non-technical instructors. 
• A Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 system is relatively easy to set up and deploy, according to interviewees. This is especially valuable for schools in remote areas where IT skills are scarce.
• Power cost reductions are important in the many areas of the world where electricity is a large line item in the school's budget — assuming it is available. 
• The overall cost savings compared to a traditional PC environment is substantial and analyses of these costs comprise the bulk of this study.  All schools reported being able to re-allocate these savings to other assets for enhancing the education of their students.

So there you have it. A three part series about what you need to know regarding Virtualization. For most of you, the sweet spot will be your computer lab(s). Using virtualization will reduce both the initial and ongoing costs of the computer lab, improve the learning environment, and simplify life for your teachers.

And I will virtually guaranteed (my final pun) you will love it. Our early adopters are already coming back for more.

One final note; in order to use MultiPoint Server 2011, you will need to address your Microsoft software licensing. See my earlier article about this subject.  After all, you don’t expect Microsoft to allow creation of all those virtual computers without licensing them!

Why you need an e-Rate consultant (and why it cannot be me)

Imagine receiving a coupon in the mail that was redeemable at any grocery store which offered you 70% off of all bread, milk, eggs and meat. Eligibility for the coupon was conditioned upon stating your house had a refrigerator to store the items and completing a few forms before your first shopping spree. In these resource constrained times, few of you would pass up such an opportunity!

Now imagine driving to the store intending to use your coupon to find that only bread and milk were available to you, because of your income. Imagine further that it would take you several hours if not days, to complete the forms required to redeem your coupon, and that the store providing the groceries was prohibited from talking to you about how the coupon worked or how to use it. Additionally, imagine being scheduled for training meetings to learn how to complete the forms which have very time sensitive windows for completion and a long list of approved uses for the discounted groceries. And finally imagine being required to plan your menu 3 – 5 years in advance for your most costly groceries, which of course had to be approved by a complete stranger.

Your coupon suddenly becomes not quite so appealing.  Yet giving up a 70% discount (or more) on items you use every day is very appealing, and for some, quite necessary! What do you do?

This is the “stranger than a reality show” world of e-Rate at a large majority of Charter Schools. Does this sound familiar? Here is the corollary:

• E-Rate is the coupon, USAC controls who gets them, and the relative prosperity of your student’s families is part of your eligibility
• CIPA (Child Internet Protection Act) compliance is your refrigerator, which you must have to even be considered for eligibility
• Your technology service provider is the grocery store who is prohibited from assisting you in obtaining your coupon
• The groceries for which you seek the coupon are your telephone, internet, email, website, and related technology equipment bills

So how do traditional school districts do this? It usually boils down to economy of scale (which most Charter Schools don’t have). Traditional districts are sufficiently large and the funds so significant, that they can afford to hire full-time e-Rate staffers.  Such is not the case with most freestanding Charter Schools.

Is it any wonder that the Charter School Community has difficulty obtaining their fair share of e-Rate funding? With few exceptions what I observe is a complete disaster; in one case the financial losses exceeded one hundred thousand dollars (yes that is six figures worth) in a single school year. And this even happened at a school where financial management was outsourced by supposed professionals, which is truly perplexing.

Here are the most common mistakes I observe regarding e-Rate:

• Attempting to do this without a significant investment in training and time. This is not a good second duty for a principal or math teacher.
• Assuming you are ineligible for reimbursement. Certain expenses are always eligible for reimbursement, regardless of your free and reduced lunch count.
• Failing to utilize a family survey to get a more accurate e-Rate discount. This is especially important where “free lunches” run counter to social norms..
• Structuring technology resources in manner that is ineligible for reimbursement or incorrectly classifying the expenses as priority two.
• Believing (erroneously) that the money is too insignificant to justify the effort 

For most charter schools, this is simply not a task that you should attempt on your own, unless you belong to a consortium of schools that can afford a full-time professional. If you doubt my advice, all that is needed to prove my point is a simple search at the official USAC website which maintains a complete database of e-Rate reimbursement. For example, in the State of Utah in FY 2010 fewer than a dozen charter schools received any e-Rate reimbursement that was not filed by an e-Rate professional.

In states that have a large population of freestanding Charter Schools, an e-Rate consortium is an excellent idea. It essentially brings the economies of scale to individual Charter Schools by filing e-Rate as a group. However, this requires a high degree of co-operation and may provide fewer benefits for some within the consortium than others. Getting independent and highly individualistic charter schools to co-operate seems to be a challenge.

For these reasons, we strongly encourage the use of e-Rate professionals, but it is important to do your homework when selecting an e-Rate professional. There are no formal credentials in the world of e-Rate consultants, although the e-Rate Management Professionals Association is attempting to change that. In our experience, fees range widely, as do the personal interaction with your staff. Some companies provide a mostly web-based do-it-yourself interface; others have a very personal and accountable approach. Our recommendation is Kellogg & Sovereign, LLC located in Ada, Oklahoma.

Now for the “not me” part of this article. By statute, technology service providers are restricted in many aspects of the e-Rate process, especially in the pre-bid time frame. This is to prevent undue influence and fraud associated with contracting procedures, and rightly so. E-Rate fraud has been problematic in the past, which is inexcusable, but understandable as the amount of money involved is significant.

So what’s the bottom line? Decide now to get some professional assistance for your e-Rate process. We are well into the FY 2012-13 e-Rate program year. In the worst case scenario you will be dollars ahead for telephone, fax, email, and web hosting costs each month; and in the best case scenario you will receive a huge discount on those expensive technology upgrades every few years.

In these resource constrained times, you simply cannot continue to ignore this important funding mechanism.

Improving your e-Rate experience

Improving Your E-Rate Experience

I continue to be surprised at the lackluster participation by many of the Charter School community in the USAC funding mechanism, commonly known as e-Rate. I believe that it stems from a lack of information; but whatever the reason, it seems a bit negligent in these resource constrained times.  This general lack of participation is found throughout the community; many administrators, finance companies, and service providers alike behave as though e-Rate is neither a significant opportunity nor a justifiable expenditure of time.

I believe they are wrong on both counts and unless your school has a philosophical position against government support, there is little excuse for not maximizing the benefits of this program.

Here a few very simple suggestions that will help you improve your experience in obtaining reimbursement for eligible technology purchases.

1.     Don’t try to do this on your own. One of the simplest ways to improve you e-Rate experience is to outsource the process in part or in whole to an e-Rate consultant who will assist you. State of Utah resources for e-Rate assistance, as compared to other states we have observed are quite limited and are mostly guidance in a self- service process. By outsourcing this task to a professional, you can focus on issues that you are uniquely qualified to manage, like educating children.

2.     Understand the formulas that drive discount rates. Your reimbursement options improve as your discount rate increases. And there are ways to improve your discount rate beyond a simple calculation of free and reduced lunches. This is uniquely true in Utah, where larger family sizes, depressed wages, and a general reluctance among many in the LDS community to accept free lunches tends to drive down your specific discount rate. Start planning now to do a household income survey to improve your e-Rate opportunity, especially if you are approaching the 70% – 75% bracket.

3.     Shift expenses to the priority one category. Albeit a limited opportunity (and no we don’t advocate trying to trick USAC) there are certain expenses that can be categorized in both the internet access (priority 1) and the internal connections category (priority 2). The best example of this is email. By utilizing a hosted email solution, rather than an on-premise solution with servers, software, and network equipment, you can obtain reimbursement without regard to your discount rate and/or the 2 in 5 rule for hardware. Another example of this is a hosted VOIP telephone system, instead of on premise (hardware concentric) VOIP telephone system. Your website hosting is yet another priority one expense.

4.     Align your purchases with the e-Rate calendar. E-Rate purchases typically need to be installed during a 90 day window starting with July 1 and ending (with some exceptions) on September 30^th. By structuring your purchases, such as your annual Microsoft School Agreement for software licensing, with this purchasing window, you can streamline the reimbursement process and improve your chances of having an expense accepted.

In at least one of the states where we provide services, we have observed, first hand, the loss of hundreds of thousands (yes that is 6 figures worth) of eligible expenses that were not reimbursed. That is not the kind of experience you want to emulate.

Right now is the time to be working on Form 470's for FY2012-13! Please don't wait another year.