In response to the E-rate NPRM a wide range of school districts submitted comments in support of Funds For Learning’s proposed reforms. The E-rate Reform Coalition understands while all stakeholders would like to see more dollars infused into the program, other important reforms are necessary. The coalition argued that it is time for the E-rate program to stop providing blank checks to schools and that budget caps with protections for small and rural schools is a critical reform. The coalition also agreed with Funds For Learning’s approach that the priority system should be eliminated and that schools should be able to purchase anything off of the eligible services list based on local priorities.
Coalition members include:
- Philadelphia School District in Pennsylvania (the country’s 8th largest public school district);
- Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia (the country’s 11th largest public school district);
- School District of Palm Beach County, Florida (the country’s 12th largest public school district);
- Montgomery County School District in Maryland (the country’s 16th largest public school district);
- Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California (the largest Archdiocese in the United States with 270 schools);
- Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois (the largest Catholic school system in the United States with 85,000 students);
- Archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan (the 6th largest Archdiocese in the United States with 95 schools);
- El Paso Independent School District in Texas (the country’s 61st largest public school district);
- Mesquite Independent School District in Texas (an independent school district with 36 schools);
- Western Heights School District in Oklahoma (a small independent school district with 8 schools).
