“Across the developing world, places like China and India are putting the informational pedal to the metal,” Schumer said. “If we don’t have our kids keep pace, then our kids are going to be left in the interview line as someone else takes their place.”
The recent lifting of a legal restriction that prevented New York state school districts from purchasing information and telecommunication technology through the federal General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Supply program has unlocked the door for millions of dollars in savings for local taxpayers, Schumer said during Wednesday’s teleconference. Districts can now pool together and leverage lower prices utilizing the Federal Supply program. The problem as he sees it right now, is that many districts are not aware that this program is available.
Acknowledging that the cost of technology grows faster than school district budgets can handle, Schumer is calling on the GSA to work with school districts in upstate New York to help them save taxpayer funds on high technology purchases for classrooms throughout the state. “A lot of our school districts rely on state funds to help cover the technology costs that they can’t afford,” Schumer said. In central New York school districts alone, $6.69 million was budgeted in the 2011–12 school year for computer administrative aid, software aid and hardware/technology aid.
“On the one hand, investing in education is the Popeye spinach of our economy — it sets the future for growth and allows our kids to compete for the best jobs, but, on the other hand, property taxes in New York have long been out of control,” the senator said.
E-Government Act, which passed the U.S. Congress in 2002, authorized states, municipalities and local school districts to engage in a process called cooperative purchasing, which allows for the administrator of the GSA to provide access to certain items offered through the GSA’s Federal Supply Schedule 70. By making purchases through Schedule 70, state and local units of government can receive the same cost savings and streamlined purchasing processes as federal agencies.
For local school districts, this means easier and more affordable access to critical education tools like information technology, wireless equipment, software licenses, professional information technology services, and classroom training.
In the last decade, school districts in many states have taken advantage of cost savings through cooperative purchasing and Schedule 70. Unfortunately, New York state school districts did not have the legal authority to purchase classroom technology through federal cooperative purchasing agreements and GSA Schedule 70 because of the state’s competitive bidding laws. Because of these restrictions, local school districts have never had the opportunity to purchase under Schedule 70.
Under a provision in the recently passed tax cap legislation, offered by Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, school districts in upstate New York now have that opportunity.
Schumer has urged GSA Administrator Martha Johnson to begin a new school taxpayer savings campaign in New York and immediately begin consulting with all New York state school districts to identify immediate opportunities for taxpayer cost savings on information technology purchases, as well as plan a series of regional forums in New York to educate school administrators on the Schedule 70 program.
“State-of-the-art networks, lightning fast computers and high-speed Internet should be available in every school throughout New York,” said Schumer. “To help today’s students find tomorrow’s jobs, they need to have the world at their fingertips. Fortunately, making sure our kids have access to the latest technology doesn’t have to break the bank for local taxpayers, thanks to this federal purchasing program.”
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Janet Rebeor-Dexter
Quelle/Source: PallTimes, 21.09.2011
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