Knox Community School Board Approves Network and Telecommunication Projects

Gary Dulin, Jerry Fletcher, Harold Welter, Mary Lynn Ritchie, Kirk Bennett, Nathan Marcum, Mike Yankauskas, Superintendent A.J. Gappa

The Knox Community School Board approved upcoming network and telecommunications projects at its meeting Monday night. The School Board and Technology Director, Jim Landrum, are hoping to secure federal funding for the projects approved.

“Every school has a technology plan and that is required by the State. Some schools that are in the same situation as we are, with a higher free and reduced lunch schedule, qualify for federal grant money through the E-Rate system,” said Superintendent A.J. Gappa. “In order to qualify for that, the Board has to approve some of the upgrades and projects that are part of that technology plan. What we had the Board do was to approve part of our technology plan so we would qualify for the E-Rate schedules. That could save us upwards of 75 to 80 percent of the actual cost. We’re looking at upgrading the phone system and making the Middle School wireless.”