Texas Long Range Plan - Infrastructure for Technology

Potentially the most important area of the Texas Long Range Plan is Key Area IV: Infrastructure for Technology. Essentially, this area encompasses all funding, availability, accessibility and connectivity, and just about every single aspect that deals with the full integration of technology in a 21st Century Learning Environment.

Although I felt previously that this area was the most important of the Texas Long Range Plan, I know feel more than ever it has taken on increased importance, especially considering the state of school finance in Texas. In reviewing the plan, I feel the single most important area associated with Infrastructure is funding. Funding remains the single most important element to ensure that the plan can be fully followed and have the potential for achieving the ultimate goal: ensuring that all K-12 students in Texas have access to technology rich learning environments.

Over the past few years, local districts, such as Cy-Fair ISD, have had to cut numerous dollars from their individual District budgets, specifically on the order of over 50 million dollars in the past 3 years. Although all efforts are made at the District level to not cut services that are going to have a direct negative impact on students, it is unavoidable that eventually these cuts will affect the learning environment.

Although the state requires a specific WADA funding amount to be dedicated to technology spending, with increased costs of numerous technology items, as well as larger class sizes and an aging set of technology, as well as many other general operating items that exhaust any excess funds, it has become extremely difficult for Districts to provide everything that schools need to stay technologically advanced.

The State is aware of the funding deficiencies, and even under its own strain due to school finance, as the amount of dedicated technology funding was reduced in 05-06 from the previous level of $30 per student to $27.14. Although this doesn’t appear like a “large drop”, consider a district of 100,000 students that would have a net loss of dedicated funds in the amount of $276,000! With districts operating with budget shortfalls, funds do not exist to make up this deficiency. This is made even more difficult by the loss of dollars that came from the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund. As stated in the Texas Long Range Plan, Districts are now funded by the State at levels consistent with those seen in 1990; equally funding for a 20th Century environment in the 21st Century.

Nationally, funding and adequate infrastructure is also a growing problem. The National Education Technology Plan 2004 discusses innovative technology funding; however, it doesn’t designate any more funding dollars to State Education other than those already being received as part of No Child Left Behind or current federal dollars. Essentially, it states what many States/Districts are already doing to increase the amount of technology resources available for learners.

The solution is simple in terms of what needs to be done in order to improve the area; increase funding! The problem is, how we increase funding with the limited dollars we currently are allocated, and without taking funds away from other programs. It is a complex issue that I think will involve districts potentially looking at increasing taxes in order to fund technology if the State doesn’t address the lack of funding. Likewise, I think you will see an increase in grant applications for technology funding from Districts, and potentially, increasing advertising options for businesses on district technology items as a measure to raise funds.