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Niagara Falls Board of Education Contemplates How to Spend $8.86 Million on Technology

The board is building on top of the technology infrastructure it's already made in this bond-funded project.

(TNS) — The Niagara Falls Board of Education has appointed a task force to determine the use of $8.86 million in funds from the New York State Smart Schools Bond Act, approved by voters in November of last year.

The sum is only of a portion of the $2 billion bonded out by New York state in 2014 in an effort to provide monetary support for updating schools' technologic resources. The Falls' allocation is based on the percentage of total state aid that is utilized by the district, minus its building aid and gap elimination adjustment funds.

The committee is slated to be made up of representatives of multiple stakeholders, including individuals from Niagara University, the Niagara Falls Housing Authority, district staff, teachers, students and officials from private institutions. Heading up the committee will be Darlene Sprague, the district's administrator of information services.

The district is limited in its application of the funding, which can be devoted to one of four state determined categories" learning technology, broadband and wireless internet access, security or the modernize of classroom space.

Sprague said learning technology, such as tablet computers or laptops, is the focus of $3.5 million of the funds, while another $2.5 million would be devoted to updated security cameras and related infrastructure.

"It's very restrictive," Sprague said. "We're going to skip the broadband and wireless internet because we just completed that as part of our capital projects."

The district's recently completed $66.7 million capital project was an effort to update Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics facilities across all Niagara Falls school. The project, too, was initiated at the approval of voters in 2012. Some 98 percent of the district's spending was reimbursed by New York State building aid, grants and the use of Niagara River Greenway funding.

The district will also allocate $200,000 to purchase additional technologic devices, $275,000 on "smart board" projector replacements and $450,000 on its audio system, which pipes sound throughout the classroom for the hearing impaired and to, reportedly, increase attention.

Sprague emphasized that the itemized sums are only tentative estimates, and that the district will not have to operate on a timeline once the funds are received. But the newly assembled committee will need to determine a plan for the funds more quickly, as the state's Smart Schools review board meets quarterly.

If not submitted by December, the Falls' district will have to wait until March to see their plan approved.

Joseph Giarizzo, administrator for school business services, said reception of the funds will place further financial obligations on the district, but administration will have to spend the $8.86 million before they become eligible for reimbursement.

A technology survey plan was submitted to Western New York Regional Information Center, often referred to as BOCES, and Sprague said the district expects to hear back on its approval or disapproval by early September.

A draft technology plan will be presented to the Board of Education by October and a public hearing will take place before the strategy is finalized by its December target date. 

2015 the Niagara Gazette (Niagara Falls, N.Y.), distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.