K-20 Education Network Meeting Minutes June 13, 2006
K-20 Education Network Meeting Minutes – June 9, 2009
Department of Information Services Boardroom, the ForumBuilding
Olympia, Washington
Members Present:Jim Albert
Rep. Glenn Anderson
Violet Boyer
Dr. Chip Kimball
Charlie Earl
Judy Hartman
Rep. Sam Hunt
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Wells
Marty Smith
Peter Tamayo
Jan Walsh
Dr. Jim Walton
Roll Call / A sufficient number of voting members were present to constitute a quorum.
Approval of the Consent Agenda / A motion was made to approve the minutes from the December 9, 2008 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
Network Technical Steering Committee
Report (NTSC) / Tom Carrolland Susan Tenkhoff of the K-20 Network Staff provided the Board with an update of K-20 Network operations and projects.
Ms. Tenkhoff provided an overview of the Federal E-rate program, a discount program administrated by the Universal Services Company under the direction of the Federal Communications Commission. The K-20 network has received over $21 million dollars from the program since the program began in 1988. It was reported that K-20 was the subject of a random audit of its E-rate program in March of this year,. The team of five auditors from the accounting firm Moss Adams examined K-20 E-rate documents, practices and procedures since 2001. Moss Adams reported no findings as a result of the audit.
Mr. Carroll provided an overview of equipment the K-20 Network intends to purchase during the current biennium. The recently adopted 2009 – 2011 Biennial Budget assumes the maintenance of current levels of service and meeting the anticipated bandwidth and end site growth for each education sector. That budget includes the purchase of 5 categories of network equipment totaling $5.8 million dollars:
End site edge routers; $2,400,000. K-20will replace approximately 400 K-20 routers located at customer locations. Edge routers and associated equipment are required to effect the connection to the network. This equipment is approaching end-of service life, and requires replacement to ensure K-20 network services continue to provide current levels of reliability and availability to our customers.
Additional Multipoint Control Units (MCU); $2,000,000. The current increase in video conference activity will require additional MCUs toward the end of fiscal year 2010. Current increase in video port usage and recent directives requiring a reduction in travel will cause an increased use of
K-20’s video conferencing capabilities.
Switched Data Equipment; $802,000. This equipment supports K-20 users with Time Division Multiplexing circuits, and will require replacement and upgrade over the biennium.
Node Site Routers; $572,000. These routers are located in the Seattle, Yakima, Spokane, Pullman, Vancouver and Olympia nodes. They provide core layer 3 services on the K-20 backbone and aggregation of services connecting the end sites. Some of this equipment is approaching end-of service life and requires replacement. Additionally, these funds will be used to support additional Gigabit and above capacity between K-20 nodes and external providers such as the Pacific Northwest Gigapop.
NTSC Office Equipment Replacement; $22,000This equipment has been fully depreciated and is at end-of-service life.
K-20 Network 2009-11 Biennial Budget / Doug Mah of the Department of Information Services and Tom Carroll of the K-20 Network Staff provided the Board with an update of the final K-20 Education Network budget.
It was reported that the recently adopted 2009 - 2011 Biennial Budget includes a $16 million appropriation to the K20 revolving account. The proposed appropriation is $4,195,000 less than assumed and requested by the K20 Educational Network Board. In addition, the operating budget assumes a$1,920,000 expenditure and 1.0 FTE reduction for the biennium. These changes are consistent with the Governor’s proposed budget.
Removing the purchase of equipment previously deferred in the current biennium and reducing future equipment purchases will be required to accommodate the lower appropriation in the next biennium. The budget reductions do not assume changes in the participant co-pay. In addition, the reduction to the revolving account will likely require an increase in the 2011 – 2013 biennial appropriation to restore a sufficient operational fund balance .
Representative Anderson commented that the likelihood of an increase in appropriated funds is very low, and that K-20 should consider co-pay scenarios and other service level options.
Senator Kohl-Wells commented that she believe the economy will improve over the next two years, prior to the next biennium.
In response to a question from Jim Albert regarding K-20 bandwidth growth assumptions, Doug Mah state the K-20 budget includes funds to sustain the estimated bandwidth demand.
In response to a question regarding the nature of the K-20 bandwidth increase, Tom Carroll stated most of the demand appears to be related to program changes. Additionally, current travel restrictions appear to be causing an increase in video conferencing usage, which contributes to the network bandwidth demand increase.
Legislation Impacting K-20 / Doug Mah of the Department of Information Services provided the Board with an overview of legislation with potential impacts to the K-20 Network and network operations. It was reported that the Washington State Legislature adjourned on April 26, 2009 and the Governor finished acting on bills by May 19, 2009. It was reported that several bills introduced during the 2009 legislative session would have eliminated or suspended the activities of the K20 Board and the NTSC. None of these bills passed.
Two bills were introduced, passed, and signed into law that will impact how the education sectors may use technology in the delivery of services.
Second Substitute House Bill (2SHB) 1946 was passed and signed by the Governor. The bill encourages all institutions of higher education to use common online learning technologies. The bill requires the Higher Education Coordinating Board to convene a workgroup to improve the use of technology in education. The workgroup reports its preliminary findings and recommendations, based on its comprehensive analysis, to the legislature by December 1, 2009, and a final report to follow by December 1, 2010. The bill does not directly impact the operations of the K-20 network.
Substitute Senate Bill 5410 was passed and signed by the Governor. The bill defines multi-district online provider and requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to adopt criteria and a process for approving and rescinding approval of them. It directs SPI to create an Office of Online Learning and initially hire staff from the Digital Learning Commons to develop a comparative website, develop model agreements between school districts and approved providers, and offer technical assistance. The bill authorizes state funding for students enrolled in online courses, beginning in the 2011-12 school year, only when the courses are offered by an approved online provider, through a school district program where fewer than 10 percent of students in the program are from other districts, or through an inter-district cooperative. It requires school districts to adopt policies and procedures regarding student access to online learning by the 2010-11 school year. The bill also requires multi-district online providers to be accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools or another national, regional, or state accreditation program. The bill does not directly impact the operations of the K-20 network.
OSPI Technology Plan / Dennis Small, Education Technology Director, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction(OSPI) and Jacqueline Wyatt, Educational Technology Specialist, OSPI provided the Board with an overview of the Washington State Strategic Plan for Educational Technology.
The state’s plan includes four strategies developed for the new agendas — state and federal — shaping K-12 education today. Each strategy responds to specific challenges in the operating environment. Developed in consultation with the Educational Technology Advisory Committee, this suite of progressive action items sets long-term objectives and follows with pragmatic, reality-based tactics ready to execute. It is believed that these 21st century strategies will move the state of teaching and learning in Washington toward its greater goal — to achieve a 21st century learning environment for every student who enrolls in a K-12 public school.
- Sustainable Funding for Technology Integration
- Academic Standards for Educational Technology
- Professional Development for Technology Integration
- Online Education
In the final section of the Washington State Plan for Educational Technology five thoughtful explorations are presented — 21st Century Concepts for Teaching & Learning — that take a step back from the operational fray and introduce some new approached to K-12 education.
Public Comment / None.
Adjournment / The meeting was adjourned.
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