Help! Restore EETT Funding!

SETDA (the State Educational Technology Directors Association) has asked those states who have a Representative and/or Senator on the House Committee on Appropriations, Education Subcommittee or Senate Appropriations, Education Subcommittee to reach out and let them know how important it is that the FY10 Appropriations for EETT, which was included at only $100 million in the President’s budget, be included at a minimum at the level funding level of $269 million. Please be sure to provide one key example from your district of how EETT has been a catalyst for improvement. Please call the offices of your member(s) below and ask specifically for the Education Appropriations staffer. Time is, as usual, of the essence, so please call by Friday if possible. You can access all phone numbers at http://www.senate.gov/ or http://www.house.gov. If you have a contact in those offices other than the Education Appropriations staffer, please contact him/her, as well.

FYI - Rosa DeLauro is on the Committee on Appropriations, Education Subcommittee.

New Computer Assisted Writing Grant Posted!

It's finally here - RFP 977 (Local Competitive Grant for Computer Assisted Writing) has been posted to the SDE site! You'll find it under Request for Proposals in the right navigation bar, under Curriculum and Instruction. Here's the direct link to the RFP.

Note that only "high needs" districts are eligible to apply. The list of eligible districts can be found on page 21 of the RFP. Proposals are due on July 30, 2009.

Because of the timing of this RFP's release, there will be no bidders conference. Anyone with questions should contact me directly at karen.kaplan@ct.gov or 860.713.6781.

Good luck!

CEN Funding

If you read Bill Cibes' op-ed piece in last weekend's Courant you know that the latest state budget proposes eliminating funding for programs such as the Connecticut Education Network and iCONN. As you are probably aware, however, the budget is not yet final. Members of the CT Commission for Educational Technology, the body that oversees and sets policy regarding CEN and the Digital Library, have communicated to the CT Office of Policy and Management (OPM) the programs’ reliance on general fund allocation in order to operate and provide vital services to the state’s school districts, colleges and universities, and libraries. At this point, OPM has agreed to put the CEN line item on the list for review.

As the budget discussions continue and as decisions are finalized, we will keep you informed, both on this blog and through direct communication from CEN staff to tech directors.

NEW RELEASE DATE: Computer Assisted Writing RFP - for High Needs Districts

Well, it’s not all I had hoped for, but using Title IID funds, we have been able to somewhat resurrect the Computer Assisted Writing grant program that lost state funds earlier this year. Unfortunately, the use of these funds is restricted to high-needs districts so only those districts are eligible to apply. (The list will be included in the RFP, and will likely include those previously eligible for Title IID grants.) A total of $450,000 is available, with individual awards of up to $60,000.

There are two significant changes to the new RFP: The first is that at least 25% of funds must be devoted to professional development activities. This is a requirement of all Title IID activities. The second change is that you must implement and run your program during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. Different students may be involved in each year.

UPDATE: The RFP should be posted on the CSDE Website on June 19, 2009, with a due date of July 30, 2009.