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Legislative Update


Some suggestions to provide help with school districts’ technology needs

by | Sep 18, 2020 | Legislative Update Blog, State Issue

School districts having difficulty coping with the unexpected costs associated with COVID-19 may find unexpected help from their underlying municipalities. 

That’s because municipalities that do not plan to fully utilize their allotment from the Routes to Recovery program, funded through the Coronavirus Relief Fund, may be able to partner with school districts. The municipality can, or example, purchase laptops or tablets, etc., for distance learning and teleworking for their schools and donate them to the district.

The good news for schools is that any municipality that has a remaining allotment from the Routes to Recovery program can procure and donate items and services to a local school district and be reimbursed.

According to the state Department of Administration (DOA), which administers the Routes to Recovery program, in utilizing this program, “it would be preferable that the municipality purchase items for the school district and donate the items to them rather than reimburse them.  …  They (governing bodies) should retain the documentation and any meeting minutes that show their through-process or steps in making that decision in case they are audited by the federal government as well as that documentation indicated in the program guidance.”

This Fund is available to cover unbudgeted expenditures incurred due to the COVID-19 public health emergency between March 1st and November 6, 2020.  However, the cutoff for the report of eligible expenditures to DOA is November 1. To be on the safe side, it is suggested that a municipality would probably want to incur the expense that they plan to donate to the school district (it must occur in this manner) no later than the last week of October.

Here is a link to a quick operational overview of the program.
Questions regarding item eligibility can be emailed to covidgovgrant@wisconsin.gov.

The WASB especially wants to thank Sen. Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) for calling this opportunity for school boards to our attention.  Sen. Cowles, along with other lawmakers such as state Reps. John Nygren (R-Marinette) and David Steffen (R-Green Bay), was instrumental in working to bring the Village of Howard and the Howard-Suamico School District together into a partnership to utilize Routes to Recovery funds to benefit the HSSD. That collaborative partnership recently resulted in the Village of Howard acting to donate supplies purchased with about $200,000 in unused COVID-19 relief funds to the Howard-Suamico School District.

Please read Senator Cowles’ press release and his letter to school district leaders in his Senate district encouraging them to establish similar partnerships with local governments to help reduce COVID-19 related expenses to school districts.

CESA Purchasing Partners and the Digital Learning Bridge

As schools reopen across the state, another potential source of help for school districts that find themselves with technology needs—such as 1:1 devices, learning management systems, or mobile hotspots or Internet service for students—and are seeking discounts is help through a program offered by CESA Purchasing Partners.

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and CESA Purchasing have partnered in an effort to bridge the current digital learning gap and offer discounted pricing on internet service, devices, and learning management systems.

The Digital Learning Bridge is a webpage designed specifically for Internet providers who offer a discount residential Internet service and are able to bill school districts directly.  Fixed wireline, fixed wireless, and LTE providers are all eligible to participate.  

Under ordinary circumstances, Internet providers offer service directly to residential customers.  This new arrangement allows school districts to purchase or contract for the services directly with Internet service providers (ISPs) and then allow students to connect through the school district. 

The DPI has set aside some of the funding it received under the federal CARES Act to help buy down the costs of these arrangements thus providing additional discounts to the cost of such service.

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