For more than a decade, Cleveland Municipal School District has used E-rate and other federal funding programs to build, maintain, and strengthen the technology that supports its students and staff. Three programs tell the story: E-rate for the connectivity foundation, the Emergency Connectivity Fund for access during the pandemic, and the Cybersecurity Pilot Program for protecting the network.
E-rate built the district’s connectivity foundation
E-rate provides eligible schools and libraries with discounts on eligible internet access, telecommunications, and network equipment and services. For a district the size of Cleveland Municipal, that support helps maintain the infrastructure that keeps students and staff connected.
Over the past decade, the district has received over $18 million in disbursed E-rate funding. As classrooms have grown more dependent on reliable internet access and digital tools, that steady support has helped keep the district’s connectivity and network infrastructure in place.
The Emergency Connectivity Fund kept students online through COVID
The COVID-19 pandemic changed how schools used technology almost overnight. When students and teachers could no longer count on being in the classroom every day, reliable devices and internet access became essential. The Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) gave eligible schools and libraries a way to extend connectivity beyond the classroom walls.
Cleveland Municipal School District received over $14 million in ECF disbursements. That funding helped students stay connected to their schools and keep learning even when they were not there in person.
Cybersecurity is the district’s newest priority
Connectivity remains a core need, but the technology landscape keeps changing, and cybersecurity has become a growing priority for districts that rely on technology every day. Districts manage large amounts of information and have to protect their networks, systems, and users from evolving threats.
Cleveland Municipal School District has taken part in the Cybersecurity Pilot Program, an initiative designed to help eligible schools and libraries explore how cybersecurity services and equipment can better protect their networks. The district has over $1.2 million committed through the program, addressing an area that has become critical to a modern learning environment.
What Cleveland’s decade of funding shows
Taken together, the district’s funding history shows how technology needs have evolved over the past decade. E-rate established and maintained the connectivity and infrastructure that support daily operations and digital learning. The Emergency Connectivity Fund helped students reach that technology beyond school walls when the pandemic hit. And the Cybersecurity Pilot Program addresses the growing need to protect it.
Cleveland Municipal School District’s experience shows the difference federal funding programs can make for a school community, from foundational connectivity to emerging priorities like cybersecurity. Technology funding is about more than equipment and internet connections. Reliable, accessible, and secure technology is the foundation for modern education, and it is something the district can keep building on as new challenges arrive.
This funding history came straight from E-rate Manager®. Want the same view of your own district’s E-rate history? Sign up for a demo today!
About the Author: Sheauna Brown has been part of the Funds For Learning team for nearly five years and is based in Edmond, Oklahoma. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, and she puts real value on building strong personal relationships and making space for the people who matter most.
