[June 10, 2011] JFC action delivers punch to Superior schools Tweet Jun 10, 2011 (Superior Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Superior school district employee Terri Harings has a busy year ahead of her. As one of three district technology coaches, she'll help teachers develop webpages; show parents how to use the district's new website; and host community workshops aimed at increasing overall computer literacy. At least, that was the plan until recently. A proposal approved by the Joint Finance Committee on June 3 could derail Harings' work. The Joint Finance Committee moved forward a motion that would force the return of about $37 million in federal funds. The money, the Building Community Capacity through Broadband (BCCB) grant, was intended to expand broadband services and connect communities statewide. Superior was one of five primary regions to receive funding. The others were Wausau, Platteville, Chippewa Valley and the Menominee Nation. For Superior's portion of the project, the Superior school district was an active participant. It took on an educational role by setting up workshops, training teachers and updating its website to make it more accessible. Now halfway through the project, the district has committed to a course of action. Last week's move by the Joint Finance Committee, therefore, came as an unexpected -- and unwelcome -- surprise. "I was blindsided; everybody was," said Janna Stevens, Superior school district superintendent. "It was a shock for everyone involved." The district currently has three staff members on leave from the classroom to work on the BCCB project: Harings, Bruce Bauer and Judy Peterson. They'll spend much of next year helping teachers, parents and students learn to use the district's new website -- set to launch this summer. The BCCB grant provides funding for the three long-term substitutes scheduled to fill in for Harings, Bauer and Peterson next year, but if the district returns its portion of the grant money to the federal government, Stevens said she doesn't know how the district will move ahead as planned. "I have been 'in the know' about this grant since before we actually knew it was a for sure thing," Harings said. "Here in Superior, our goal is education -- UWS and WITC are anchor institutions that are (also) part of this. "We have planned at least one community outreach event per month -- free -- and which can be held in our school buildings. In the fall, this will be delivered in the form of cyber safety, open houses for parent training, and we have begun planning for e-banking, photo-sharing, how to use Skype, paying bills online, and more." A loss of funding would put a halt to the group's plans, but as of now, workshops will be held as scheduled. On Monday, Harings working with community members on how to post and build a resume, conduct an online job search and hopefully land a job. The workshop will be held at Superior Middle School 9-11 a.m. and is free to the public. "It would be perfect for high schoolers looking for work, dislocated workers, or others," Harings said. The workshop is limited to 25 participants, and 10 were registered as of Thursday. To sign up, e-mail Harings at [email protected]. Another provision in the Joint Finance Committee motion could cut even more deeply than the loss of the BCCB grant. That measure would prevent UW system from supporting WiscNet, a cooperative high-speed network that provides Internet access to many Wisconsin colleges and universities, public libraries, hospitals and 75 percent of public schools. The $1.4 million in the UW system budgeted for WiscNet would be pulled for 2012-13, and the telecommunications cooperative would be eliminated in July 2012. At Monday's Superior School Board meeting, Stevens said the loss of WiscNet would have a severe impact upon the district, which is already facing a $2.7 million cut in funding. Another Internet provider would likely charge two or three times what WiscNet now charges. "The truth of the matter is, this will be brutal for us," Stevens said. Regarding the BCCB grant, board president John Hendricks wondered why the state was inserting itself into the situation when the money came from the federal level. He also questioned if the state had the legal authority to force the return of the grant money. Since the Joint Finance Committee motion passed on June 3, both Stevens and Superior Mayor Bruce Hagen have written to legislators, asking for the provisions concerning WiscNet and the BCCB grant to be dropped. "It is beyond my comprehension why we would give back the grant funds," Stevens wrote. "This action will have massive negative effects on various communities in the state of Wisconsin by killing a projected 483 jobs and harming rural Wisconsin communities that need high speed reliable internet access to compete economically in (a) global economy." A vote on the matter is tentatively slated for Tuesday. Until then, Stevens and many others will be holding their breath. "If it made it through the Joint Finance, that's very concerning for me," Stevens said. "Why wouldn't it make it through somewhere else?" To see more of the Superior Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.superiortelegram.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, Superior Telegram, Wis. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]