Date: Fri 02-May-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-technology-grant

Full Text:

Technology Grant Brings $108,803 To Newtown Schools

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

Newtown is one of 22 schools to receive an Educational Technology

Infrastructure Grant from the state Department of Education, school

administrators recently announced.

A total of 55 schools applied for the technology funding.

The grant money, totaling $108,803, will be used to wire all Newtown schools

for computers, bringing video, voice and data into every classroom.

Superintendent of Schools John Reed said that the grant would definitely

further the goals set out by the Technology Task Force in the long-term

technology plan accepted by the Board of Education, December 3, 1996.

The award turned out to be approximately 40 percent of Newtown's original

request for $243,960, also submitted to the state in December of 1996, when

the school board approved the application for the infrastructure grant.

"The state obviously thought that was the fairest way," to disperse available

funds, said John Torok, the school business manager.

"All the schools that won grant money were given 40 percent of their

requests," so the funds could be spread across a wider base, he explained.

"We've already back-boned for the necessary infrastructure at the high

school," Mr Torok said, referring to funding for wiring the classrooms that

has already been built into the current high school addition and renovation

project.

"We've wired a middle school classroom and have begun a pilot project at

Middle Gate," Mr Torok added.

Receipt of the infrastructure grant would allow them to continue wiring the

other three elementary schools (Hawley, Sandy Hook and Head O' Meadow) and to

finish the job at Middle Gate.

"Eventually, I foresee that when we have all the hubs and servers in place

along with the completed infrastructure, we'll be able to interconnect our

classrooms to libraries and schools throughout the state and beyond.

"This could literally put the world at the kids' fingertips - that's the

goal," Mr Torok said.

School administrators are particularly interested in the outcome of a

telecommunications bill that is being considered in the state legislature.

"If it passes, we'll get an additional $4 for every $1 of grant money," Mr

Torok said.

That would amount to $540,000 additional technology money coming to Newtown.

Security And ConneCT96

Soon, Mr Torok said, screening out undesirable material would have to be dealt

with.

An adequate censoring system could turn out to be "very involved," he

predicted, as it might include the installation of "fire walls" or check

points that would be established throughout the system once the infrastructure

was completed and before the computers could be hooked up.

The ConneCT96 initiative, during which community volunteers wired several

classrooms at Hawley and Sandy Hook schools in mid-September 1996, was part of

a statewide technology awareness-raising program sponsored by Governor John

Rowland to help bring technology into the schools.

"By participating, we showed our support and it got us started. That was

important," Mr Torok said.

Dr Reed said that in order to be considered for state grant money, schools had

to show a community-wide commitment accompanied by in-depth proposals

explaining how they intended to spend the money.

Also working in Newtown's favor, Dr Reed said, was the imminent successful

completion of the high school construction project, which included

installation of necessary infrastructure wiring.