News from SETDA; Appropriation Status of EETT

Earlier this week, the House shared its FY09 Appropriations for EETT - $272.25 million. This small increase specifically represents a statement by the Appropriations Committee to show a "turn of the tide" in terms of funding for educational technology and is the first time that we have received any increase in the House for about 4 years.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, HHS and Education also released its marked-up its version of the FY09 spending bill yesterday. EETT received level-funding in this bill, which translates into $267.4 million.

Although we would all prefer larger numbers, this does put EETT in a good position as we enter the probable continuing resolution or the eventual conference and voting on Appropriations. The continuation of this program and the indication of support from the House and the Senate is important as we move forward with a new Congress and Administration.

New SETDA white paper on broadband access

SETDA releases the first whitepaper report from the Vision 20/20 Action Plan series “High-Speed Broadband Access for All Kids: Breaking through the Barriers” this report addresses the growing concern and critical need for high-speed Internet access among our districts and schools