This was presented at the League of Oregon Charter Schools Conference in August 2013. Discover the basics of E-rate funding, how to maximize your discounts and where to learn more.

1. What E-rate Can Do for You
Janice Meyers Educational Consulting, LLC

2. Introductions
E-Rate Basics
Impact of E-rate on OR
Case Studies
Connect Ed E-rate 2.0
Already Applying? Tips
to Maximize your Funding
Why Hire a Consultant
Q&A
Agenda

3. Since 2001, Janice Meyers has helped over 95 schools realize their
technology goals with the help of E-rate funding. As an education and
technology expert she is uniquely qualified to help your school maximize
funding and integrate eligible services into your technology plan.
Janice received a master’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College and worked
as a classroom teacher. She became fascinated by educational technology
and earned an M.S. Ed in Instructional Psychology. After working in the
technology field, Janice returned to school for a certificate in administration
and supervision. She worked as a technology director, supervising systems
and educational technology integration. Prior to Janice’s entry into the
educational world she was a account representative, making her an
excellent negotiator.
This experienced teacher and administrator is available to help you navigate
E-Rate from start to finish!
About Janice Meyers Educational
Consulting, LLC

4. Charter schools have
the freedom to use
the newest
technologies to make
learning come alive.
But…
Life of a charter
school leader

6. The costs associated with implementing the latest technologies can be
overwhelming.
This presentation will provide you with the information you need to use
E-rate to make your technology dreams come true.
Connected Classrooms do not Come
Free!

7. E-rate is a federal program that was established by the
Telecommunications Act of 1996 to make telephone and
internet service more affordable for schools and libraries
throughout the country, particularly in rural and urban
areas. In 2013 the program has more than $2.3 billion in
funds to distribute.
E-Rate provides federal subsidies of between 20% - 90% on:
-Telephone Lines/Mobile Phone Service
-Local and Long Distance Charges
-Data Lines (T1, DS3, WAN Service)
-Internet Access and Hosting Services
-Internal Connections (Wiring, Switches, Routers, Servers)
(priority 2 typically for schools with higher poverty rate)
-Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections (priority 2)
So What exactly is e-rate?

8. There are two categories of Eligible services
Priority One- P1
Telecommunications Services- local/
LD , cells, VoIP, centrex, ect.
Telecommunications- covers lit or dark
fiber, maintenance and installation
costs that are not provided by a
telecommunications carrier. Dark fiber
is eligible if the applicant lights the
dark fiber immediately; however, the
costs for purchasing modulating
electronics necessary to light the dark
fiber are not eligible.
Internet Access-cable, Fibers, T-1 lines
Priority 2- P2
Internal Connections-eligible
products, such as
routers, wireless, switches, hubs, and
wiring. Eligible products are located at
the applicant site and must be
considered a necessity to transport
information to classrooms or publicly
accessible areas of a library.
Basic Maintenance of Internal
Connections- upkeep and maintenance
of all eligible equipment

9. How are discounts determined?
Discounts
Discounts range from 20% to 90% of
the cost of eligible services. The
amount of the discount is based on
the school’s location and level of
poverty (using National School
Lunch Guidelines).
If your organization has multiple
schools the discounts for individual
schools can be combined or schools
can apply individually.
• All schools can receive discounts
on telephone service and internet
access. Schools with a high
percentage of students eligible
for free/reduced lunch can receive
subsidies to pay for internal
connections/basic maintenance.

10. Alternative Discount Mechanisms
Other measures of poverty can
be used
Survey method
The survey must be sent to all
families whose children attend
the school
The survey must, at a minimum,
contain the following
information:
Name of family and students
Size of the family
Income level of the family
Participation is one of these
programs qualifies
Medicaid
Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) -
formerly Food stamps
Supplementary Security Income
(SSI)
Federal public housing
assistance or Section 8
Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

11. What’s my discount rate?
INCOME
If the % of students in
your school that qualifies
for the National School
Lunch Program is...
URBAN LOCATION
...and you are in an
URBAN area, your
discount will be...
RURAL LOCATION
...and you are in a RURAL
area, your discount will
be...
Less than 1% 20% 25%
1% to 19% 40% 50%
20% to 34% 50% 60%
35% to 49% 60% 70%
50% to 74% 80% 80%
75% to 100% 90% 90%

12. Am I Urban or Rural?
The following Oregon counties
are considered rural (all others
are considered urban):
Baker Clackamas (only some
areas) Clatsop Coos Crook Curry
Deschutes Douglas
Gilliam Grant Harney Hood River
Jefferson Josephine
Klamath Lake Lincoln
Linn Malheur Morrow Sherman
Tillamook Umatilla
Lane (only some
areas) Union Wallowa Wasco
Wheeler

14. My school is too small to benefit from E-rate
FALSE: Any school can benefit from E-rate. If you pay $900 a month for a T-1
line and you qualify for a 40% discount, you could save $4,320 a year.
Only low-income schools receive funding.
FALSE: All schools qualify for telecommunications and internet access
funding. Currently schools in which more than 75% of students qualify for
reduced lunch prices can receive funding for internal connections and
maintenance. (More schools may be eligible in the near future).
There is a limit to how much my school can receive.
FALSE: As long as you have a plan to utilize the funding and file forms
properly, there is no set limit. Some of our schools receive up to $ 350,000
The paperwork is overwhelming.
TRUE: But… If the burden of learning the rules and filling out all the forms is
too much, consider hiring an E-Rate consultant to handle your application.
Let’s play a game
true or false?

15. Impact in Oregon
Oregon schools have already been
awarded more than $16 million in
E-rate funding for the year 2012.
Funding decisions for 2013 are still
being made, but over $3 million
has already been awarded.
The window for 2014 applications
has just opened. Are you ready?

16. Real life examples:
How two clients used e-rate
School A is a charter that opened
in 2012, serving 120 students in
grades K-1. They are planning to
expand to serve grades K-5 and will
outgrow their current facility.
-The school has a 76% NSLP rate
and qualifies for priority 2 funding
-In 2013 the school will receive
$200,000 of funding for
network, cabling, wireless, phone
system, servers, etc. They will also
get $50,000 for Internet, phone
lines, and cell service.
-
School B is an urban charter high
school with 400 students. Their students do not
want to be labeled/socially stigmatized and so
they do not return the school lunch form. The
school then doesn’t qualify for priority 2 (internal
connections). After employing the survey
method, they qualify for a new network.

17. The window for filing E-rate applications for
the 2014 funding year has just opened. To get
more information check out the website of
the Universal Service Administrative Company
(the entity that administers the program).
Or the SLD website at
http://www.usac.org/sl
I am interested in learning more.
Where should I begin?

18. "In a country where we expect free Wi-Fi with our
coffee, why shouldn't we have it in our schools?" President
Obama
What does Connect Ed want to accomplish?
At least 100 meg of Internet access to each school, a
gigabyte to the desktop
How will E-rate 2.0 use the fund?
Increase and streamline the fund to get the job done in 5
years
Connect Ed and ERATE 2.0

19. Examine your discount rate. Have you gotten every student to turn in their
NSPL forms, if not why?
Some families are reluctant to turn in forms due to immigration issues
Consider using alternative measures of poverty
Revise your technology plan- what does the network need to maximize the
use of technology in the classroom
Re examine all telecommunications costs- do you have POTS lines not being
used- can you find a better technology at a lower cost to achieve the same
or better results
I already apply for e-rate
How can I maximize my benefits?

20. What is an E-rate Consultant?
Should I consider hiring one?
Complying with the multitude of
federal mandates surrounding E-Rate
can be an arduous task. Application
requirements often change swiftly
mid-year. Schools lose enormous sums
of money because they do not have
the expertise to navigate the labyrinth
of required forms, competitive bidding
procedures and audits.
Applying for E-rate requires significant
knowledge, time and energy. It is
often cost-effective to hire a
consultant to manage your
application.
A few examples of Oregon schools
denied funding because of filing errors
that could have been easily avoided :
A FCC Form 470 was not posted for requested
tariff or month-to-month services for Funding
Year 2012. FCC Rules require that requested tariff
or month-to-monthservices be posted on a FCC
Form 470 each Funding Year.
$34,295
Denied
Applicant has not provided sufficient
documentation for the following items: a signed
and dated copy of the contract for the requested
products/services, an explanation of how the
multiple non-instructional facilities are essential
to transport data and information to an
instructional building, and failure to provide a
configuration/network diagram.
$72,682
Denied
This FRN is denied because the Item 21
Attachment was not received on or before the
filing deadline. The Item 21 Attachment is an FCC
Form 471 Window filing requirement. You failed
to provide sufficient documentation
demonstrating the Item 21 Attachment was
submitted timely. FCC Forms 471 with Item 21
Attachments that met the FCC Form 471.
$22,176
Denied

21. Janice will:
Develop a comprehensive 3
year technology plan
Obtain the highest discount
rate possible
File all forms correctly and
in a timely manner
Integrate eligible services
Set up an audit proof
record retention system
Services Include:
Working with the school to determine the eligibility rate
(reimbursement rate)
Preparing and analyzing the survey method if deemed necessary
Conducting a needs analysis of technology needs
Reviewing the schools Technology Plan to insure E-rate compliance
Preparing Requests for Proposal
Posting RFP on JHMEDU.com
Sending RFP’s to prospective bidders
Receiving completed bids and analyzing the bids
Collect all information required for submission of funding (year
2010-2011) 470 forms
Complete and submit funding (year 2010-2011) 470 forms
Collect information required to submit funding (year 2010-2011) 471
forms
Complete and submit funding (year 2010-2011) 471 forms
Answering all PIA (Program Integrity Assurance) questions
Answering all Special Compliance Review questions
Filing SPIN (Service Provider Invoice Number ) changes
Filing Invoice Extension requests
Provide direction and information in the process and submission of
form 486
Filing of the BEAR(Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement Form)
Filing the SPI (Service Provider Invoice Form)
Filing of Form 500 if needed
Maintaining the Quarterly Disbursement Reports
Help the school set up an E-rate record retention system to
prepare for FCC audits
Be available to answer general and specific E-Rate/SLD questions

22. Q&A
Contact Janice Meyers
Educational Consulting, LLC
janice@jhmedu.com
1121 Park West Blvd. SuiteB#204
Mount Pleasant, SC 29466
914-715-2466
www.jhmedu.com
janice@jhmedu.com
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