SOCSD board approves EDLA application
The Starkville-oktibbeha Consolidated School district may be closer to becoming one-to-one with its technology following the approval of a grant during a special called school board meeting Tuesday.
The board unanimously approved the district’s application for the Mississippi Equity in Distance Learning Act (DLA). The act sets aside some federal Coronavirus Aid, Recovery and Economic Support (CARES) Act funds for Mississippi school districts to purchase technology as many students are attending school via distance learning due to COVID-19.
SOCSD Technology Director Leanne Long said the district could potentially get up to $1.5 million from the act and would have to match at 20 percent. The district’s contribution plus a Mississippi Department of Education allocation for technology will bring the total up to $2.1 million.
“Several school districts will submit that grant application for receiving reimbursement funds to get those devices for our students,” Long said.
Long said she was optimistic about the district’s chances of receiving the funds
“There are some procedural things that were a part of the grant, documentation outlining our distance learning plan, our sustainability plan, an acceptable use policy for our district outlining those,” Long said. “Those will be submitted to the state board for approval, and then once approved, they will release the funds in order to purchase
the devices.”
She said the amount of funds a district was eligible to receive under the EDLA was based on its attendance.
“We’re very excited as a school district to have this opportunity to allow us to go one-to-one,” Long said. “We are looking forward to training our teachers and training our students and parents to utilize those traditionally and virtually and looking forward to the new opportunities it affords us.”
Long said kindergarten and first grade students would be issued the district’s current stock of ipads since the younger students would struggle with a keyboard. The EDLA funds would be used to purchase Chromebooks for the rest of the district’s students, along with other technology upgrades. In total, 4,700 computers would be purchased.
Becoming one-to-one has long been one of the district’s goals, meaning each student would be issued a laptop or other device to be used for instructional purposes. The district worked with Apple toward the goal for a few years until legal differences between the company, state of Mississippi and district forced the district to look at other options.
The board voted after it was determined that the district could procure the devices it desired from a list of vendors approved by Mississippi State Auditor Shad White. The approval followed the recommendation of Superintendent Eddie Peasant and Board Attorney John Hill.
White also sent a letter to the Mississippi Department of Education, claiming that the agency was breaking the law. The claim was rebuked by the agency.