Included in the American Rescue Plan funding through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Emergency Connectivity Fund Program (ECF), we submitted a grant to close the homework gap. We received $106,000 to purchase new HP Chromebooks for students! FCC’s Emergency Connectivity Fund Program is a new program that funds schools to help cover the costs of laptop and tablet computers and Wi-Fi hotspots for off-campus use by students, school staff, and library patrons.
It is always exciting and rewarding to work with outside (state and federal) agencies that provide funds to support the teaching and learning in our district. With Phase III on the horizon, we will work with the FCC again soon!
Update as of May 22, 2023: These HP 11MK G9 EE Chromebooks are nearing their first year of use. They are holding up quite well, and we feel comfortable that the hardware will last us five years when we replace equipment as a part of our replacement cycle strategy. Whenever buying a Chromebook, visit Google’s Auto Update Policy, which lists the length of time they will support the various Chromebook models. In our instance, the HP 11MK G9 EE is end-of-life listed as June 2028. This will afford us six years of covered Chromebook security and software updates.
Update as of September 20, 2023: We secured funding to acquire an additional 700 HP Google Chromebooks at our high school! With these educational devices in place, we have embraced a future-oriented approach to education, fostering an environment conducive to enhanced productivity, collaboration, and digital literacy.