As you may have heard, the President once again zeroed out EETT in the proposed 2009 budget.

A message from SETDA: It is critical for you to reach out to the folks on Capitol Hill and share with them the importance of EETT in your state, once again. This year, in particular, presents a great opportunity to invite your Representatives and Senators to visit schools in your state. EVERY Representative and many Senators are up for re-election this year; and with the Presidential race, all members of Congress will be spending a lot of time in their home states and districts.

We urge you to email or call the staffers from your state reminding them of the importance of EETT and inviting the Senator or Representative to visit a school(s) in your state THIS WEEK!
(Click on the image to enlarge the spreadsheet.)



Here’s a sample letter that you might want to use…

Dear XXX,

I would like to again share with you how critical NCLB Title II, Part D – the Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT) Program is for STATE. STATE receives $XXX in EETT funds. EETT supports ALL areas of NCLB; and research shows that EETT helps to improve student achievement. Additionally, EETT provides significant professional development for teachers to ensure that we have highly qualified teachers for our students.

As you are probably aware, the EETT program has been slated for complete elimination in the President’s 2009 Budget. We again look to SENATOR/REPRESENTATIVE XXX for leadership in ensuring that students and teachers have the opportunities that EETT provides to ensure that our students are competitive for the 21st Century

We know that SENATOR/REPRESENTATIVE will be spending time in STATE with the upcoming elections, and a visit to a local school that utilizes EETT funds will provide a first hand account of the negative impact the elimination of this program will have on the successful implementation of NCLB and ultimately student achievement within ’s and nationwide. We would like to invite you to visit a school during the spring recess.

New EETT Local Competitive RFP to be released late February

The RFP is targeted at middle school grades 4-8. The plan is for grantees to develop assured experiences that are keyed to CT state standards. These activities/experiences will be collected from the grantees and shared with districts all over the state through posting on ctcurriculum.org, cen.ct.gov and through CDs that will be distributed through the RESC's technology councils.

Mark your calendars...the Bidder's conference will be at ACES (205 Skiff Street, Hamden, CT 06517) on Tuesday, March 4th from Tuesday, March 4, 2008, from 9:00-12:00 a.m.

Details...total funds available $750K...up to $65K per award...money needs to be obligated by June 30, 2009 and drawn down by Sept. 30, 2009.

As soon as the RFP is released, I'll post a notice...

NEEMA conference April 4th