Funding for eLearning

The cost is estimated at $450,000 a year, based on projections for 900 high school freshmen each year. Our district was awarded a $230,000 federal grant. Enhancing Technology Through Education is a one-time award. We added $500,000 from our General Fund (a 4% tax increase will provide recurring funds); and $970,000 in Capital Outlay. The Kentucky Department of Education allowed districts in fiscal years 2005 and 2006 to use Capital Outlay funds to offset General Fund maintenance and insurance expenses.
This then allowed us to use regular General Fund budgeted funds for the eLearning project. If KDE continues this flexibility, we will be able to implement two more high school classes next year (rising freshmen and juniors; the sophomores will keep the laptops assigned to them as freshmen this year). We will ask our Board of Education to continue its support by approving another 4% tax
increase to fund the remaining class in fiscal year 2008. At that time, all four high school grade levels will have laptop computer resources.