Funding

By Pat Reed, Vice Principal/Curriculum, St. John Fisher School

Introduction

Supporting and implementing a quality technology program can be a daunting task.  Sources of funding become more and more limited as the access gap narrows due to the establishment of No Child Left Behind in 1997.  Further, schools find themselves becoming more and more dependent on private sources of funding as funds in the public sector dwindle.  Much controversy surrounds the current use of private financing of public education.  Schools in poorer districts with lower property tax collections find themselves without the resources to adequately educate students, let alone finance state-of-the-art technology programs, and thus must seek funding outside of public resources.  Further, teachers are now in a position where they must compete for grants to fund programs in order to keep themselves or their schools competitive.  Trends toward charter schools in a sense “privatize” public education.  Some believe that this is a positive event, forcing schools to improve their performance in order to compete for enrollment. 

Commercialization within schools has also become an issue.  Many districts find themselves in a position where, in order to raise funds to support school programs, they must in turn become “advertisers” for the sponsoring companies. (Bogren, Molnar).   From Channel One to the now defunct Zapme! Corporation to lesson plans with corporate sponsors, impressionable students are often bombarded with ads at school (Aidman).

This article addresses methods for schools to actively seek funding to keep their technology programs healthy without undo student solicitation.   Developing healthy and mutually beneficial alliances between educational institutions and outside sources of funding is key.   Many sources of funding are competitive in nature, and school administration must actively pursue them, and come up with creative ways to keep their technology programs alive.

Funding Sources

E-rate
E-rate, the program which provides discounted Internet and telecommunications access to schools and libraries, is still in existence since its inception in 1997 despite Congressional measures to eliminate the program (FCC & NETC 2002). The discounts for schools are calculated based on the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Click here for the discount matrix.

Federal Grants
Federal funding of technology programs has been reduced from nearly $700 million in fiscal year 2003 to under $500 million in fiscal year 2005.  Focus on approved projects is for professional development and partnerships between public schools and the private sector.  Technology awards focus on improving academic achievement, meet state standards, involve parents in schools, enhance teaching and school improvement.  Detailed information can be found at Federal Grants and Contracts.

State & Local Funding
State and local funding of education technology depends largely on the technology vision and dedication of the particular state or local school board. Parents, teachers, and education organizations must continue to push the state and local leaders to establish consistent funding for technology. The initial expenditure for hardware is not sufficient. Schools need funds for software, teacher training, and ongoing maintenance in order to best use the technology available.  For information about Illinois grants see ISBE Grant Funds.  Information on other states can be obtained by contacting the individual state’s Board of Education.

Private Grants
The competition and requirements for private grant acquisition may be daunting, but there are numerous foundations, businesses, and organizations willing to grant money to worthwhile education technology projects.   As government funding for technology is cut, schools must seek out alternative funding sources.  Some good sources of private funding are:

InterCultural and CrossCultural Teaching Portal

The Foundation Center

CyberLearning Grants for K-12 Schools

            The Spencer Foundation

            The Dreyfus Foundation

Matching Gifts
Many corporations provide funds that will match a charitable contribution of an employee.   It is important that schools communicate this information to their students’ parents and members of the school community.  Since its inception in 1954 over $2 billion has been contributed to education by employers and their employees through corporate matching programs.

            Council for Advancement and Support of Education – Matching Gifts

Matching Gift Online Search

Writing a Grant Proposal
Since many sources of funding are competitive, writing a good proposal that will get noticed is an important part of the school administrator’s job.  Visit the following sites for information on how to write a grant proposal.

Bell South Grant Guidelines

Steps to Successful Grant Writing

Fundraising
Many schools have implemented creative fundraising programs to offset the costs of their technology programs.  These include Manna Programs, Ink Cartridge and Cell Phone Recycling, Wrapping Paper and Magazine Subscription Sales and more.  There are portals for online shopping that donate back a percentage of shoppers’ spending to the school of their choice.  Some schools also charge a computer fee to offset the costs associated with the technology program, much like a book fee.

            The Manna Group

            Cartridges for Kids

            Innisbrook Wrapping Paper and Magazines

            SchoolPop

References:

Aidman, Amy.  Advertising in the Schools.  ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Urbana, IL.  Retrieved August 2, 2005.

Battle begins over federal ed-tech funding (July 20, 2005). Retrieved July 20, 2005 from http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=3864

Bogren, Sue et al.  An Educators Guide to Commercialism.  Curriculum, Technology and Educational Reform Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, http://moodle.ed.uiuc.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=3520.  Accessed August 2, 2005.

Federal Communications Commission (2005). E-rate. Retrieved July 20, 2005 from http://www.fcc.gov/learnnet/

Molnar, Alex and Joseph Reeves.  Buy Me!  Buy Me!  Fourth Annual Report on Commercialism in Schools.  Educational Leadership, Vol. 59, Number 10.

Northwest Educational Technology Consortium (2005). E-rate primer overview. Retrieved July 20, 2005 from http://www.netc.org/fcc/overview/overview.html

 Recommended Sites

The Buck Stops Here: Debunking Five Common Ed-tech Budget Myths

Federal Communications Commission: E-rate

National School Boards’ Association Funding Toolkit

State Educational Technology Directors Association - Connects